A Blaze in the Darkness
by CheshireTricks
Summary: After Cliff left, I didn't know what to do with myself. Each day bled into the next as I refused to let go of my unspoken affections. It was in that darkness that a light stumbled in and whispered "Claire, you may have been in the dark, but one day you're going to understand that I would never leave you alone in it," clearing out every trace of shadows in my life.
1. Chapter 1

**My First crack at a fanfic, hopefully you all enjoy :). Please comment if you'd like, they help me a ton! **I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc****

Her tears burned with the soul ripping ache of loss as they fell down her heart shaped face. Everyone in the town had moved on since the loss of one of its residents, but Claire still felt the crushing weight as it threatened to suffocate her. Why didn't she say something? Why couldn't she open her heart to another person? These questions and more circulated through her mind at least once an hour it seemed. All she hoped for now was that the sun would set and she could climb into her small bed. Sleep was her only reprieve from the all consuming sadness. Time passed easily then, and she could see his shy face smiling back at her, mute out the words that brought her world to darkness; I have to leave Mineral Town.

It had been months since Cliff had left, but every day was a difficult one. The only good thing was the timing. Cliff left at the end of winter, so Claire had plenty of work to keep her mind busy as spring began. Her days slowly became what she ran from in the city; mundane and predictable. Wake, tend to the animals, tend to the crops, visit town for necessities, sleep, repeat. It took her weeks to admit to herself that she loved him, then days to berate herself for not seeing how she could have gotten him to stay.

She spent time with him every day at the church talking, though it took a while for Cliff to really start talking openly without blushing or stuttering. She knew he was slowly running out of funds to stay in town, yet she didn't ask him to tag along when Duke requested help picking grapes for the season. Something kept telling her that that would have made a difference in the situation, and she beat herself up over it.

Before all of this Claire was such a bubbly person, quick to smile and quicker to laugh. It was her friendly nature that had made it so easy for her to assimilate to the small country life, befriending most of the residents of Mineral Town with relative ease. It was everything she had hoped it would be when she decided to purchase the farmland. Everything except the heart break.

This is what was on her mind as she made her way into town and towards the blacksmiths. Her first calf was coming soon and she needed to get calving chains she had requested to be made in order to help with the birth. Cliff would have been pretty excited about this, she was sure. He was an animal person, like Claire, and she could still see his smile when they watched her first chick hatch from its egg. She had been so proud at that accomplishment, and the memory of his praise made her smile to this day. It was that smile that whispered on her lips as she opened the door to the blacksmiths, ignorant of the argument that was brewing within.

She didn't even notice the shouting until it was directed at her, words cutting sharp and angry. "What are you looking at?!". Snapped out of her thoughts she realized she wasn't quite sure. Gray was never one to not be in a mood, but she had never been on the receiving end of it. She stood shocked and confused as Saibara bellowed back at the young man, "Gray, How dare you yell at a customer like that! Excuse him Claire, though I would understand if you didn't. Gray obviously needs to learn how to deal with customers on top of his other duties here. I'll go grab the calving chains and give him a chance to apologize proper" he harrumphed with a glare at Gray. All she could muster was a silent nod as she glimpsed Gray's eyes go wide and his face red at his grandfathers statement.

Gray stood staring at her for a moment and seemed to settle a bit before curtly tossing out, "Sorry. He's been on me all day about the quality of my work. I'm starting to feel like an idiot." Claire was so tired of being beat down by herself, she couldn't help but to lash out when someone else did it to her. "Well you look like an idiot. It's called training Gray, it takes time and patience." She turned away from him and towards the counter as Saibara came out with her goods. Gray stood open mouthed, a red tinge to his face, as she paid and walked out the door with her purchase.

She really wasn't the kind of person to lash out at others, even at her worst. _I probably shouldn't have said that to him, my pains are no more than anyone else after all_, she silently reprimanded herself. She stopped on the road outside the shop and glanced in the window. Gray was bent over his work, a hard determination etched on his face. She felt her feet shift beneath her and the urge to go back in and apologize as she watched him. She became lost in thought again, imagining the best way to apologize to someone like Gray. She suddenly realized she had been staring long enough for it to be creepy and rude when his eyes darted up and he did a double take at her presence. He seemed confused at first, then gave a small smile that made Claire's face go red.

Gray moved away from his work area towards the door, saying something to Saibara as he went. Claire felt like she wanted to crawl under a rock, or run home embarrassed, but she only waited a moment for Gray to open the door and walk over to her. He scanned her red tinged face and pulled his hat down over his eyes, "I really am sorry, Claire," he spoke slowly, "and you're right. I shouldn't complain to you about it, and I'm sure, in time, my training will get easier when the time comes." He smiled shyly. Claire felt like something inside of her loosened. A shy smile flashed in her mind, and her heart gave a painful thud as she thought of Cliff. "I'm sorry too Gray, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," she sighed, "Oh, or called you a jerk," she grimaced out with wide eyes. She groaned as Gray chuckled at her. "Well, I should get back inside. Let me know when the calf shows up? A jerk like me would like the chance to see a newborn farm animal." He gave a laugh as Claire blushed and smiled, and he turned and walked back inside the blacksmiths.

Claire walked back to the farm in a lighter mood than she had been in a while. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled. It felt good to smile without tears lining the curve of her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Next Chapter! Please comment if you can! I gage how well I'm doing and learn ways to improve from them. **I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc****

It took Claire a week to get everything set up for the arrival of the new calf. She spent whatever free time she had making sure that it would be a smooth situation. She had never helped deliver anything larger than her chicks, and they didn't really require the kind of help her cow, Belle, would need. She made sure to get any and all information she could from Barley, and even went to the library to research. She had been neck deep in cow birthing information, on top of her regular chores, and had very little sleep to boot.

Today though, she sat elbow deep in cow, bringing in the newest little life on her farm, a small smile starting to form on her lips as she watched in amazement. "Claire, I really think it's time for you to let this go and move on," Kai groaned out when she refused another outing intended to cheer her back into her old self. All she could do was glare at him. He may have been her closest friend, but telling her to 'get over it' was a bit much coming from someone who pined for a woman with a brother who was successfully determined to keep Kai out of the picture.

Kai had come into town for the summer a few days ago and was shocked at the seemingly different person Claire had become. Kai had known about her feelings for Cliff before she even did, and acted as a support for her as much as he could while away from Mineral Town. Today was another day of him assaulting her with demands that she get out of the farm for a while and have some fun. Now that the calf was on its way out, Claire would have some free time afterwards while Belle got to know her new baby. Claire had every intention of giving in to Kai's demands to go out, but not before giving him a hard time about it.

"You know Kai, I think I have a bit much to deal with on the farm today. With the birth of this calf and tending to the pineapples, I think I've got my hands full." she sighed out with a hint of dry sarcasm. Kai sucked in a quick breath. "You're going to wash your hands in between right?" he worriedly spit out.

Claire responded with a shoulder shrug and an amused smile, making Kai cringe at the thought of his beloved pineapples being besmirched with cow... well whatever it was, he didn't want it on the fruit he would end up getting from Claire.

Claire returned her attention to the birth of the new calf as Kai sighed and whispered "You don't have to go through all of this alone ya' know. I'm you're friend, and I know what it's like." "Kai, the big difference here is that Pop knows how you feel and returns it. It's Rick that's the problem for you. My problem has no solution." Her shoulders haunched forward as she gave a gentle tug on the now visible legs of the calf.

"You could let him go Claire. That's a solution." Claire felt the prickling at the edges of her eyes and had to clear her throat. She stayed focused on the task at hand, but whispered, "I can't. I don't know where he went, and I know he's not coming back, but I don't know if I want to let it go." Kai gave a heavy sigh as he stared at Claire, arms tugging on the legs of what looked like an alien being covered in goo. A squelching noise stretched through the silence, followed by the cries of the newly born calf. Kai blanched, Claire beamed, and Belle lowed. "Good job girl," Claire whispered. She stood while wiping her arms with a rag and looked to Kai, giggling at his obvious discomfort, and smiled. "So, where are we going tonight?" Kai flashed his charmers smile and winked, "To the beach, of course."

* * *

Claire had always been a fan of the beach. Meeting Kai here had only made this beach that much more special. Since they had met last summer they had become very close. Some would gossip about their relationship, but theirs was more a relationship of kindred spirits rather than romantic. Both were from the city, carefree, and in love with someone they were possibly destined to never have.

Today they sat on a beach towel watching the sunset, toes dug into the sand. "So I saw Popuri today, and Rick," he grumbled. "Everything was going so great, and then he barged down the beach yelling." Kai threw his hands up exasperated. "The point though, is that I got some time with her and it's only the beginning of summer." Claire could hear the smile in his voice and joined in, "Who would have thought; Kai, the ladies man, smitten by Popuri the chicken goddess." Both fell into a fit of laughter. Once they caught their breath Kai looked over seriously at Claire and asked what she knew was coming, "So, any sightings of Cliff lately?" She knew he wasn't asking if she really saw him, but rather what was making her think of him lately. "Well, I see him just about every day when I walk by the church, thanks by the way for building your shop next to it," at this she stuck out her tongue and giggled, "but about a week ago something really brought him into focus." It only took a few minutes to fully describe her encounter with Gray and the smile he had flashed at her. "Wait, Gray said all that … to you?" Kai gave a mock cautious gaze in her direction. "Claire, are you dying?" he deadpanned, "Because even then, I'm not sure I could really see Gray being nice to you for calling him a jerk." Kai's laughter finally took over as Claire looked confusedly at him. "We had a mutual understanding I think. I think I inspired him? I dunno. But it was nice to see the smile on his face, even if it did remind me of Cliff. I guess I just enjoy the punishment of reminders. Oh, I completely forgot! We'll have to stop by the inn to let him know about the calf! I mean, he did ask to know about it afterwards, and I did kind of promise," Her eyes were wide and her index finger was pressed to her lips as she trailed off staring at the ocean. Kai's eyes were nearly widened at this sudden change of subject from Cliff to another person, a guy even. Hell, Gray of all people. "Well well," Kai chuckled lowly, "it looks like this summer could get really interesting after all."


	3. Chapter 3

**little bit longer than the last two, hope you are enjoying it so far. Please feel free to comment any critiques or anything you're liking, I'm learning as I go lol**I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc****

It was close to the end of a normal work day as Claire and Kai walked up to Doug's inn. The day at the beach was a pretty pleasant one for both of them, mostly spent on them talking about what the other had missed while they were gone. The inn was already starting to fill up, so they walked to the bar and sat down. Ann took their order and came back with her normal bubbly smile. "Soooo, Kai. Popuri tells me you two got to have a nice conversation on the beach this morning." Kai flashed a smile at Ann, ready to go over the entire thing with his message carrier. Ever since Kai decided that Popuri was the one for him Ann had been more than happy to pass along little messages for them in order to avoid the wrath of her older brother. Claire listened to their conversation until she saw Gray walking in the door. She tapped Kai on the arm and glanced at Gray to let him know her intentions. As she stood up Kai explain to a confused Ann "Oh she promised something to Gray and wants to deliver while he is here at the inn." He winked as Ann blushed. Claire rolled her eyes with a smile and walked away. Leave it to Kai to make more rumors bloom in the ears of the women of this town.

Gray was almost to the stairs when Claire got to him. He turned at her calling and gave a small smile, "Hey Claire, how's it going?" Claire couldn't help but smile back. _He should smile more, _she thought. "Well, it may be getting a little rough actually now that theres a new mouth to feed and care for on the farm." Claire watched his face carefully as his smile widened slightly, "Would you like to come over and see the calf?" Gray seemed to turn a little red and he pulled his cap down over his eyes, "Oh, I would like that, yeah. Just let me drop off my things and I'll be ready to go." He was halfway up the stairs before it hit Claire that he meant now.

She walked back over to Kai, who was sitting with his head close to Ann, clearly making a plan for his next "chance meeting" with Popuri. "Gray is coming to my house to see the calf tonight," Claire spit out in a stupor. "Well don't you work fast miss," Kai laughed out with wide eyes. Ann slapped his arm, "I'm sure Claire doesn't mean what you're implying." Ann turned to claire and flashed a smile, "It'll be good for Gray to have some one on one time with somebody other than his grandfather." Kai jumped in with "Oh I'm sure any man would love one on one time with Claire." Kai winked and quickly leaned away from the bar as Ann tried to swat him again with an exasperated grunt.

Claire was still blushing when she heard a throat clearing behind her. She turned and Gray was there, tugging his hat farther over his eyes. "Sorry that took so long." Kai unsuccessfully tried to hide his snickering, "Oh I'm sure Claire won't mind you taking a while." Claire rolled her eyes with Ann. "Well I'm sure that's better than your 'quickies' talking with Pop," she shot back. Kai was unfazed, "Oh, well I'm sure you'll find out. Have fun Clair." Her eyes went wide at the backfire of her taunt. Claire grabbed Grays arm and hurried out.

The door to the inn closed and Kai's laughter was still audible. Claire released Grays arm and shook her head, "Sorry, Kai's had a few too many it seems." She gave a sheepish smile to Gray and started walking the path to her farm. It was a good five minutes of silence before Gray spoke up. "So, how's farm life treating you?" "Pretty good so far. The land is cleared of all the debris, crops are growing well, and all the animals are in pretty good shape." Gray gave a quick glance at her, noticing how flatly she stated all of that. "Well that's good. I was a little, uh, concerned. You seemed a bit worn down the last few times you've been in to the shop." Claire's eyebrow shot up at his notice. Looking over at him she saw Gray was staring at the path, hat completely hiding his eyes. She wasn't sure how to approach the reasoning for her worn down appearance with anyone but Kai. Claire began slowly, "Well. I sort of lost someone important to me. And it kind of put me in a dark place for a while there." Gray frowned and nodded at her words, still avoiding looking her in the face.

When they reached the farm it was dusk out. Claire had left the lights on, all of them. She pulled the doors to the barn open and scanned inside for the new calf and mother. Both were in the same stall, all but settled in for the night. She couldn't help but smile at the sight, letting it fill her with a sense of joy and accomplishment. "Let's get a closer look."

Gray seemed to have a completely different demeanor when he got close to the calf, running his hands gently down its back as he took in every bit of her soft brown form. "She's really soft." He smiled as he examined all of her small features, "Have you named her yet?" Claire shook her head, a smile dancing on her lips as she watched the normally grouchy blacksmith practically cuddle with her newborn calf. Claire pulled over the two stools in the barn to the stalls entrance, vaguely aware of the dull throb in her heart. She had two stools because Cliff would sometimes come to the farm and sit in the barn with her while she milked and groomed the cows.

Her smile faltered when those memories of Cliff entered her thoughts. _He should have been here for this. The birth, seeing it grow. He would have loved it, and I would have loved to share it with him_. Gray sat next to her, still watching the pair in the stall as the calf nursed. "It really is pretty amazing, seeing her now and wondering what she will grow into. It's a new life, stepping into the world and learning everything. I mean, yeah, it's a cow, but still." Claire nodded at his words, starting to become lost in her thoughts of Cliff, a pang of regret welling up in her.

The small smile on Grays face fell as he looked at Claire, seeing the hurt etched in her features. He pulled his hat down and cleared his throat, "The person you lost," Claire stiffened at his words, "this makes you think of them?"

Claire felt the prickle at the edges of her eyes and had to clear her own throat to stop any tears, "Yes. He's a fan of animals, and was pretty excited when I told him about Belle being pregnant," Claire chuckled, "He even gave me tips on how to help with the birth." Gray nodded, "Yeah, Cliff always was one for knowing that kind of random thing." Gray glanced at Claire as her eyes went wide at the seemingly easy connection he had just made. "I kind of wondered. You know... he talked about you. When he talked that is." Claire gave a quiet sob and felt the prickling return to her eyes. "I'm sorry, that him leaving left you like this." Gray looked almost angry as he watched Claire's face drop. It had been months since he left, and still she cried for him. Tears spilled out as Claire pulled her blonde hair forward to shield her from view.

Gray seemed to grow uncomfortable as she silently cried, unable to say anything for fear she would lose it completely. She searched her thoughts to find something to hold on to, something that would ground her. Claire's hands reached up to brush the tears from her face and Gray caught one by the wrist. He forced her to turn and look at him. "I'm so sorry Gray," She sobbed out, "for crying like a jerk." He gave her a smile and whispered, "I don't cry like that." Claire laughed, which turned into a hiccup.

It was less than a minute later that the crying stopped and Claire regained her composure. _Gray came over to see a newborn and you sure acted like one huh?_ "I really am sorry about... that. After he left, I felt so lost. Like I was left in the deepest part of the caves without a lantern. Hell, I still feel like I'm in that place, but I'm growing used to it." Gray nodded, "I've actually had that happen. My gramps thinks it's a good idea to know the caves that well, though sometimes I wonder if he wasn't just trying to get rid of me for a few days." Claire laughed at the look on Grays face at this, making him join in.

Most of the night was spent with them telling stories about their lives like this, before and after moving to Mineral Town. As the mood lightened Claire started to wonder why they had never spent any time together like this. She was keenly aware that Gray had anger issues, and that he generally kept to himself, but they had been on friendly terms since she first showed up at the blacksmiths to buy a brush for her horse, Dash. "Gray? Do you think... well, would you maybe want to come with me to the beach tomorrow? I was thinking of going fishing for a bit with Kai in the morning and then having lunch at his shop if you're interested?" She felt ridiculously nervous asking him to hang out with her as friends would. She watched him think about it for a few seconds and realized she was holding her breath. "Sure, yeah that could be fun. It's been a while since I went fishing." Claire smiled and stood, "Well then, you should get back to the inn and get some sleep, I start my day at 6:00."

* * *

It was closer to midnight when Gray walked into the room he shared with Kai, and there he was waiting to ambush him. "Yo! What the hell were you doing with Claire? And don't tell me 'nothing'." Kai had his arms crossed as he glared at Gray. "She showed me the calf and we talked for a bit," Gray looked incredulous at the insinuations thrown at him, "what is the problem here now?" Kai seemed to drop his anger quickly and sat on his bed with a giant sigh. "Claire is my friend, and she's been through a lot the last few months. I'm just looking out for her." Kai stretched out on his bed and rolled to his side. "Kai you know me, I'm not out to use somebodys suffering as a way to get something. And I'm not trying to take Cliffs place with her..."

Kai nodded. They had been friends for a while, so he knew Gray wasn't going to hurt Claire. It didn't make him any less protective of her though. "She was in a pretty dark place when he left like he did. I couldn't tell her that he had mutual feelings. She beats herself up already thinking he would have stayed if she told him."

"Well, she knows now, and you were definitely right in not telling her." Kai turned to eye Gray angrily. "Look, it wasn't hard to tell who she was upset about, and I thought it would help for her to know." Kai groaned and rolled over.

Gray sat in the quiet of the room for a few minutes, wondering what he could possibly do to help Claire to feel better. _Sure, I can be an ass, but that doesn't mean I enjoy seeing a girl upset like that, especially not her_. Then it hit him that he might actually know a way to make Claire happy again. He went to his nightstand and brought paper and pen to the table. "You're an idiot, ya know Gray?" came the muffled sounds of Kai. "Yeah buddy, I know." And he started the letter.

Hey Cliff...


	4. Chapter 4

_**My oh my another chapter down! Please comment if you'd like, good or bad it is all helpful! **I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc****_

_It's been almost a month since I sent out the letter to Cliff. I had no idea where he would be, but I did remember him talking about another town he intended on visiting. It was worth a shot to send the letter there and hope he would get it. But now? Well, I was starting to hope he would never see it._

* * *

Tonight was one of those nights towards the end of summer when there was a slight chill to the air. Kai was spending a rare day with Popuri after her mother consented to his request to take her out to the beach before he left for the season, so Claire and Gray were on their own for the evening. They decided to make a spot in the field for a fire pit. The afternoon of clearing the space, digging the pit, and dragging in logs to sit on was a long one, but it paid off as they sat staring up at the night sky.

Gray glanced at Claire across the fire, face turned toward the sky, a smile tugging at her lips. In the weeks since the fishing trip he had noticed it happen more, and also that it was genuine. They had sat in silence for so long that it was almost a surprise to hear the sound of Claire's voice.

"I'm really glad you came over today Gray." When she smiled over at him he couldn't help but tug on his cap, he had never really thought his presence anywhere really made much of an impact. "Yeah, I'm glad too." Claire's smile grew wider, reaching to her eyes this time. She looked back up at the stars, and Gray suddenly found himself lost. Something shifted in him as he saw that smile on her face, a smile that he put there. Looking at Claire now, with the moonlight casting a halo on her pale hair, he was hit with the desire to reach out to her. He had known Claire since she had arrived, but right now in this moment he realized he had never really seen her clearly. It hit him hard and he sucked in his breath as he tugged his cap down over his eyes, imagining what would happen if he were to wrap an arm around her in this setting. The thought of her leaning close into his arms, resting his cheek on her hair, it felt like fireworks going off inside of him. _Fireworks..._ "You okay Gray?" His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, "Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking. Would you maybe want to come with me to the fireworks festival this year? Gramps wants me to watch his skill in action and learn something from it."

Claire seemed surprised for a split second, making Gray second guess asking her so blatantly. She seemed to think about it for a minute before answering, "I think that would be nice actually." Claire smiled again, thinking of last years festival. She didn't get the chance to appreciate the fireworks because she was stealing glances at Cliff while listening to Kai talk about his plans in the city. Gray, however, was smiling at the acceptance. He knew she still had feelings for Cliff. Hell, he had even sent him a letter to try and help her out. But after nearly a month there had been no word, which meant that Cliff probably wasn't coming back for Claire. All he knew now was that he wanted this chance, for Claire as well as for himself.

* * *

"CLAIRE!" Kai came running onto the farm, barreling through her pineapple field in a way that he would normally find sacrilegious. She braced herself, thinking he was going to slam into her, but he came to a sliding halt a few feet away. The smile on his face was almost manic, "I've got a date for the fireworks tonight! Pop said yes, and her mother put Rick in his damn place on it!" He started laughing like a mad man, running his hands through his hair, unaware that his bandana was tumbling around her field now. It was definitely not the composed Kai that she was used to, but his enthusiasm was contagious and she laughed with him.

"Well that's great news Kai, I'm really glad for you." Kai's smile suddenly dropped as he looked at Claire, "Uhm, you could come along with us of course." Claire smiled wide at him and shook her head. "I'm not going on your date with you Kai, you're a big boy now," she laughed at his confused face, "and I'm going with Gray." His smile returned and he elbowed Claire, "Well look at you! A date with Gray. I wonder what he'll think when you dress up all pretty for him," he chuckled while poking her in the ribs. Claire's face went red at his teasing comments. "I wasn't planning on dressing up, it's just fireworks at the beach." Claire blanched when Kai gave her a pointed look. "Well, maybe he thinks it's more than that. And maybe it's ok for you to enjoy yourself with someone who is actually here. And maaaaaaaybe it's ok for you to be on a date."

She seemed to stare off into the distance as she thought about it. Was this a date? She had certainly considered the possibility of it ever since Gray had asked her two nights ago. The idea that it could be made her nervous and giddy at the same time. _Cliff is gone, it's time to move on_. She surprised herself with this thought. Though she didn't see it happening, over the last few weeks she had slowly let go of him. "Maybe... maybe I will dress, well nicer than usual at least." Her gaze was still focused in the distance. Kai gave an unnoticed smile, "Well, better get on it then, the festival is starting in a few hours and I'm sure Gray is going to come straight over after he cleans up." Claire nodded, then her eyes widened, "I have no idea what I'm doing Kai." A frown formed on Claire's face and Kai chuckled, "You're letting yourself live Claire. Just go with it, at least for tonight."

* * *

The knock on the door came far too soon for Claire. After Kai had left she went right inside and started getting ready. She decided on a plaid shirt and a frilly jean skirt. It wasn't over the top, but it was something she could never wear while working. She was glad that it was also simple. She shook her hands out as she crossed over to the door, letting out a huge breath. When she opened the door her smile faltered, "Damn it." Gray stood wide eyed on her doorstep, in his work clothes. Claire saw Kai in her mind, laughing at her and flashing that smile. Kai had coerced her into dressing up, and now she felt ridiculously overdressed. Gray cleared his throat as he composed himself, "You look really nice Claire." She stepped back from the door, nervously twining her fingers, "Thank you... Uhm, I'm ready to go if you are."

The walk to the beach eased the tensions Claire was feeling, and as soon as the sand touched her feet she felt even more relaxed. Yes she was in a skirt, and yes she had fallen for Kai's trick, but tonight was already looking like a good one even before the fireworks started. Claire had brought a blanket for them to sit on and decided to set it up on the pier for the best view of the show. Kai walked over with Popuri, their hands intertwined and both sporting huge grins. Claire couldn't help but be happy for her friends, finally able to be together if only for the festival.

"Yo! I made a little snack basket for you guys, whoa Claire, you're looking nice for your date tonight!" Claire went red and Grays cap was tugged farther down his face as they stood nervously. Kai and Popuri fell into a giggle fit at this. Kai handed over one of the two baskets he was carrying and moved a bit down the pier to setup his own space for his date. Popuri beamed at Claire and hugged her before leaving, whispering, "Don't let him get to you, you look so cute!". Claire watched as they sat on their blanket together, Kai sliding an arm around Popuri and her cuddling into his side, their contented smiles visible even in the dusk.

Gray eyed Claire as they sat down, noting the foot of space between them. "So. Claire. You think Kai would still want to be friends if I shoved him off the pier in the middle of his date?" Claire's eyes widened as she turned to Gray and she couldn't help but laugh. Gray pulled the basket over and peered inside at the snacks Kai had put together for them. "Well, maybe I'll hold off on that one, looks like he put together a little of everything from his shop for us." They sat and ate while the sky darkened, talking about the fireworks show to come and making a plan to hike up Mother's Hill the following week.

The fireworks started and the crowd "ooh'd" and "aah'd" at the spectacular color bursts. Gray was focused on Claire and the look of joy on her face. She was smiling again, and this time her teeth were even showing. He noticed that she was sitting closer, her arms wrapped around herself. Then he noticed Kai staring at him pointedly as he took out a jacket and wrapped it around Popuri. Gray clumsily took off his own, and when he draped it around Claire's shoulders she grasped the edges and gave him a smile, the blush noticeable on her cheeks.

As the fireworks went on Gray only knew the look on her face, enjoying the moments she would glance at him with a smile on her face at the bigger explosions. When Claire leaned over and put her head on his shoulder he felt like he would stop breathing. He knew the finale of the show was coming soon, but he didn't want the moment to end. He reached out and put his arm around her and looked up as the fireworks came to a crescendo. Claire turned to him and he almost didn't hear her whisper "It's beautiful." He looked down into her face and thought he heard trumpets going off in his head. Her smiling face began to turn back to the fireworks and he made a decision. He reached out and touched her face, lightly pulling it back to look at him, and he kissed her.

Gray leaned away from her, seeing her wide eyes staring back at him, and dropped his gaze to the floor, "I... I'm sorry. I just di-" His words were cut short from the shock of Claire's fingers grazing his cheek. He braced himself for her rejection, and found none present when she leaned in and kissed him this time. It felt like a lifetime had passed when they separated. With their faces only inches apart they sat staring at each other in the dark, unaware that everyone was stretching and collecting their things to head home for the night already.

When they had gathered their things to leave, Kai came over to grab his basket, "Good summer huh?" he said as he winked at the pair. They both blushed and stole smiling glances at each other, turning to walk back from the pier. "Hey Kai, are you leaving early?" Claire's face looked confused as she saw the boat that normally took him away. "Hmm? No, I'm uh, actually thinking of staying a little later this year," he said with a hit of a smile as he glanced towards Popuri at the edge of the beach, "I'll stop in and let 'em know so they're not waiting on me." Kai veered off to the small boat and jumped onto the deck. Gray's brows furrowed as he watched "Did they pull in during the fireworks?" Claire nodded, "I think I heard the horn go off somewhere there, yeah."

Kai came off the boat minutes later, his eyes wide. "You guys go on without me, got a problem to take care of." Claire hugged him and started walking down the pier, only Gray saw the worried look on his face as he shook his head in his direction and waved him off.

All of that was forgotten though in the walk back to Claire's farm. Gray was almost too nervous to touch Claire again, his lips still seemed to tingle from the kiss they had shared on the pier. He noticed that she was smiling the entire walk back, a walk that lasted longer than normal for the pair. Claire felt as if she were floating and all her heavy burdens were gone. They walked close to each other and talked about the fireworks, work, Kai staying later this year, and their hike in a few days. When they reached Claire's door they were both smiling and laughing. "Thank you for walking me home Gray, and for.. uhm, well for the great night honestly." Claire's face went slightly pink and Gray pulled his cap down with a smile. "Yeah, it was a great date," he eyed Claire for any corrections, "and I actually have something for you too. I made it, so it's probably not the best, but I'm pretty proud of it." He reached in his pocket with one hand and then for Claire's hand with the other. "I wasn't sure if you liked jewelry, I don't ever see you wearing any, but I thought maybe you would like this." He cupped her hand and placed a small charm and its chain into her palm. The stone was blue, the same deep shade as Grays eyes, and hung from the silver chain delicately. "You made this... for me?" He nodded slowly, a small smile reaching the corners of his lips. Clair put the necklace and the stone rested just below her collarbone. Then Gray pulled something else from his pocket that looked like a flashlight. "It's a mini UV light," He held up the stone to the light, " The stone is Benitoite, so it'll glow." He turned the light off and she could see the faint glow coming from the charm. "Now you don't have to worry about being in the dark," he whispered with a smile.

Claire felt like she could cry in that moment. Gray was reaching out to her in a way that it felt like no one could. "Gray... I can't even... I love it." She reached towards him and suddenly her face was etched with shock and disbelief. Gray saw tears well up in her eyes and turned to see what was causing it: a figure standing near the gate post entrance with a bag slung over his shoulder and a ponytail tossing in the night breeze.

_ Claire whispered, "Cliff..."_


	5. Chapter 5

****CLIFF! What on earth can Claire do?! poor thing, I feel like I'm torturing her sometimes lol. Please comment any critiques or happy things, both are essential in growth! **I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc*****

Grays heart dropped at the sight of Cliff standing at the entrance, realizing that this is clearly the problem Kai was talking about. Claire seemed frozen as she stared at him, both hands covering her mouth. Cliff dropped his bag and slowly walked to Claire, pulling her into a tight embrace. Gray stood shocked at what was happening. Aside from the fact that he could barely talk to a girl, let alone initiate holding one like this, Gray was awkwardly aware that he was technically still on a date with the woman in Cliff's arms.

Claire stood still, hands still on her lips as Cliff hugged her tight. _He's not supposed to be here... _Claire glanced at Gray, her eyes sad and frightened. Her thoughts screamed angry in her head at the entire situation. Cliff let go of her and took a step back, his shy nature taking over. "Claire I... uhm," Cliff's eyes turned to the ground and his fingers twined together backwards, "can we maybe talk... tonight?"

With her eyes still focused on Gray she slowly nodded, a calmness taking over her features. He gave her a reassuring smile through the sinking of his heart. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a silent farewell. What killed him was that he wasn't sure if it was for the night, or from her heart.

* * *

They sat quietly in the barn, reminiscent of months before he left when they would simply enjoy each others company, and that of the animals. But now, Claire sat in a haze of silent confusion as he explained what brought him back. "When I got to the Inn there was a letter waiting for me. I, uh, I saved it. I wanted to see... well to know the truth." He pulled the note from his bag and handed it to her. The handwriting was sharp and sloppy, one she felt she should know.

_Hey Cliff,_

_ I don't know if you'll even get this, but I figured I owed it to Claire to try._

_ She wouldn't be happy if she knew I was sending this, but you need to know. She loves you, so much so that you leaving has left her shattered. If you still feel the same about her, then you need to come back for her before there's nothing left to come back to._

There was no signature at the end. Claire took a deep breath as she finished, putting her face in her hands. Cliff's eyes were on her, searching for an answer, taking in every movement she made. "I was lost when you left." The words muffled through her fingers and she turned her head up to face him, tears spilling over. "What does it mean 'if you still feel the same' Cliff?" Claire jabbed the line in the note. Cliff gave a shy smile and cocked his head to the side as he shrugged at her. She had known him enough to know that he was admitting something he wasn't comfortable saying out loud just yet.

"You felt the same way and you never told me. You left and I fell apart," Claire's rose from her seat as her voice started to rise in pitch, "I thought I would never see you again and I let myself slowly die inside because I never told you before you left." The tears began to freely flow down her face as everything hit her with a sudden finality. Cliff stood and pulled her close. "I'm sorry Claire." This time she returned the gesture, clinging to him tightly and burying her face into his shirt.

They stood like this for a while, Cliff stroking Claire's hair and making soothing noises as she sobbed. "Claire... I love you." She pulled away from him hesitantly, her face wary. "Cliff I..." Claire sat slowly as the air seemed to leave her lungs. It took a moment before she could whisper out her thoughts to him after so long. "When you left I was lost. I loved you so much I felt like I was broken, like a piece of me was dying in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do but wait alone in the dark."

Her voice trailed off and her eyes closed tight as she recalled the last few months. She hated that she had been in that place, that something had so consumed her with grief that she lost herself. She counted in her head as she let the feelings flood back, giving herself 10 seconds to let it take over: the pain in her chest when she thought of him, the tears she shed, the ache she felt passing their usual meeting places, the memories that would spring up and stop her breath, seeing his shy smile in a face that wasn't his...

The countdown stopped before she reached zero and a smile fluttered on her lips as she reached a hand to them. She had let the dark back in for only a moment, and it enveloped her. At least until she thought of _him_, and the shadows scattered away. A sinking feeling overtook her and it showed on her face. "Cliff... I-I can't." She shook her head before looking him in the eye, "I'm sorry, but I think you should go..." Cliff gave a heavy sigh and his face flashed with determination, "I know I hurt you Claire, but I'm going to do my damnedest to show you that you can let me back into your heart." With a sigh and a sad smile she stood and walked him out.

* * *

Gray was sitting with his arms crossed, his feet propped up on the table in his room, and a scowl when Cliff walked in with a small smile on his face. That was enough to make his blood heat up, "Good reunion I take it?" All he got in response was a nod from the man who seemed lost in thought. "Well what the hell happened then?"

Cliff turned his attention to Gray, "We talked. She was pretty upset, and I don't blame her. The last few months have been hell for her, and it's been all because of me." At this Gray gave a mocking gasp, "Oh you don't say?" Cliff didn't seem to notice the animosity that was building in his roommate, and only nodded. "I hurt her Gray. I told her how I felt and she couldn't even return it." An eyebrow shot up on Grays face. Cliff quickly recounted his last moments with Claire. Gray became lost in thought as it hit him that there may still be hope for him yet. _Maybe she doesn't love me... but something made her rethink her feelings for Cliff_. "I think I may need your help to convince her..." Gray looked at Cliff incredulously and shook his head. Cliff seemed confused at his reaction. "I can't help you Cliff. This is something you have to do on your own, otherwise I wouldn't feel right."

"Right about what exactly?" Cliff seemed to tense at his friends rejection to help him. Gray plopped onto his bed and laced his fingers behind his head. A hopeful smile replaced the anger as he chuckled at Cliff. "I was there tonight because I was walking her home from the fireworks festival. I kissed her at the finale." Cliffs eyes went wide as shock covered his face and turned quickly to a sad anger. "If she's with me I want to know it's because she wants to be, not because I was all that was left."

* * *

_The last few months I have wanted nothing more than to see his face again, to hear his voice, to have the chance to tell him I love him. And now? I couldn't tell him how I felt, because my convictions have wavered, shaken and tested by one kiss. When Cliff left I was brought to my knees, and when Gray kissed me... he pulled me up and sent me flying._


	6. Chapter 6

**Well things are certainly getting a bit crazy, so heres more to heap on! Hope you enjoy. Please feel free to comment, it lets me guide the story better if I know what kind of reception it's getting. good or bad, it all helps to reach a goal **I don't own Harvest Moon, and I wish there was a blanket statement I could just apply lol****

* * *

Claire was deep in thought as she walked the road to the shop. The last few days she spent on her farm avoiding anything outside of it. Things were getting too confusing and she just wasn't ready to face anyone involved, which meant everyone when you lived in such a small town.

"Yo! Where ya goin' besty?" Kai was jogging over to catch up to her. She gave him a warm smile, thankful for the break from her thoughts. "Just heading to the shop to pick up some seeds. I managed to miss out on the first planting days this fall." Kai scrutinized her unusually pleasant mood, he had expected to find her in a worse state after everything that had been happening, especially when she disappeared for a few days. "So if you weren't planting crops... then what were you doing while you were exiled to your farm eh?"

Claire shrugged, "Just thinking mainly." Kai threw an arm out in front of Claire and brought them both to a halt. Claire's eyes showed confusion at his dramatic pause, "Listen, I know me being here in the fall is a little crazy, but you can't turn it into some kind of deep philosophical thinking time." He winked at her and they both began to laugh as they started walking again. Kai reached a hand up to scratch at the back of his purple bandanna and his eyes squinted, "So have you talked to either of them yet?" Claire kept her gaze forward, a flutter of discomfort crossing her features as she shook her head. "Nope."

They walked into the shop and were greeted by a confused Karen, "Hey guys, what are you doing here so early? I thought..." She trailed off as Kai waved his arms frantically behind Claire as a signal to hush. Claire glanced over to Kai with confusion and suspicion written all over her face. He laughed nervously and reached a hand to the back of his head as he shuffled his feet. "I uh, set up a beach party with everyone tonight. And I swear Claire I was prepared to drag you out of your house if I had to."

Though his intentions were good it didn't stop Claire from giving him an incredulous glare. "You could have just asked me Kai, I'm not hiding from you." He gawked at her in disbelief, "Yeah but you're obviously playing the avoiding game with two of the people who will be there tonight." Karen stepped in front of Kai and smiled sweetly, a sign that he was probably in trouble now. "Kai dear, get out." She grabbed his shoulders and guided him to the door. "Wha-?" Karen pushed him through the door and waved, "We have womans business to tend to now you ass, we'll see you at the beach later." And with that she closed the door in his face.

Karen rounded on Claire, her sweet smile replaced by a concerned look. "Claire, I know you don't want to dig into any of this, but you've got to talk to somebody about it. I may not be Kai, but in this case I think that may be a plus in your favor." Claire shook her head and chuckled. Kai was one of her best friends, but sometimes his help was a bit too forward for her liking. She didn't want to be pushed into the uncomfortable scenario that was bound to happen tonight.

Karen eyed Claire carefully, "So you've got two guys who both care for you. And you care for both of them, obviously. Otherwise you'd be cuddled up to Cliff quicker than my dad to the doc when he has an upset stomach." Claire's eyes widened at the statement, _what the hell? Does everyone know about all of this now?!_ "Claire I know everyones business in this town, you really shouldn't be surprised. It is a small town after all." She chuckled innocently. "How lovely that this would be happening here of all places though." A dreamy expression crossed Karen's face as she stared at her.

Claire's face dropped just thinking about how the night would unfold for her now, it certainly didn't look like it would be lovely. Karen noticed the shift in her demeanor and she flashed a sympathetic look at her. "Claire, You know you don't have to 'pick a guy' right? If they care about you like you say, they'll give you the time and space you need." Claire nodded solemnly, "I just really wish there was a way to go about any of this without someone being hurt.

Karen placed a hand on Claire's shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. "You and I are going to get ready for the beach together." Karen's index finger tapped on her lower lip as she thought and she smiled brightly, "Makeup, clothes, and possibly a bottle of wine. I'm going to make sure you are ready for this Claire, don't worry."

It was hours later when they emerged from the shop, fully dressed and ready for the evening. It was more fun than Claire thought it would be, but she was still a bit self conscious in the outfit and makeup. Karen had put her in a white cotton dress. The front came just above her knees and gradually lengthened out in the back nearly down to her feet, which were wrapped in bright blue wedge heels. Claire could barely walk in the shoes, but Karen had said she needed the height what with both men being already much taller than her. "This way you'll be more striking instead of adorably short," Karen had giggled out to her. Karen had also spent the better part of an hour curling parts of her hair and applying more makeup than Claire had probably had on in her life combined. Claire took one last look in the mirror and sighed. Thankfully Karen had somehow made the look very effortless instead of overdone. "Thank you Karen. Nerves aside, I'd say I'm pretty ready for this night now." She smiled at her with confidence and Karen flashed a smug smile back.

* * *

Kai was waiting for them at the entrance to the beach when they arrived, looking the picture of worry. "Claire! Goddess I thought you had convinced Karen to... to. Hell Claire you look awesome..." He stood wide eyed taking in the image that Karen had created. "Anyways, uhm, I was a little worried you ladies wouldn't make it after you shoved me out of the shop so rudely." He glared over at Karen. She put on her best smile and reached out a hand to pat his face, "Oh Kai, you poor thing, that was me being nice!" She laughed so hard Claire couldn't help but join in. Kai stared at the pair in complete confusion, choosing to throw his hands into the air and rolling his eyes instead of throwing out a rebuttal.

The three of them walked toward the two bonfires that were blazing high on the beach. Each one had chairs and logs strewn around them, though most held no occupants as everyone wandered around them socializing. Claire recognized all of the younger people from Mineral Town, and noticed a handful that she didn't know. When she looked to Kai questioningly he shrugged, "Couple of friends from Forget-Me-Not Valley. It's not a super long trip for them and I figured they'd like a little fun as well." Claire gave an impressed "hmm" and nodded as she counted double their normal numbers. And in those numbers she saw the two men she had been trying to avoid.

Neither of the two had spotted her yet as they sat near each other at the fire, and she silently thanked Karen for that. She looked like herself, but definitely not what anyone would be looking for when searching a crowd. Karen noticed her posture stiffen and linked her arm through Claire's, smiling encouragingly. Cliff was sitting on one of the logs, his hands clasped together and forearms resting on his knees as he stared at the fire. Gray was leaning back in a chair, arms wrapped around the corners of the backrest and eyes turned up to the stars. Claire's first thought was of the night they had shared at her makeshift fire pit on the farm and she felt a jolt as she realized that it had only been about a week ago.

Gray leaned forward and reached up to pull his cap down and caught a glance of Claire. He stopped mid tug, eyes widening as he stared, and pushed his cap farther up instead. Cliff caught Grays movement and turned to follow his gaze, going red almost immediately as soon as he laid eyes on her. Karen leaned closer to her and whispered, "And that should give you at least 15 minutes to stall the inevitable." Claire chuckled and Karen continued, "Tonight you dressed up for you, not them. Keep that in mind when they come to find you." With that she released her arm from Claire's and walked over to Rick, who was happily handing her a drink.

"So Karen dressed you up to make them afraid of approaching you?" Kai shook his head and laughed, "well I'll be damned, that's actually a good plan against those two. Me though, it's like a moth to a flame, or it would be if Pop wasn't walking in looking like the Goddess herself!" His gaze lifted to where Popuri sat chatting with Ann. She smiled sweetly at Kai and he seemed to go into a trance for a few moments before blurting out, "''Scuse me, my lady beckons." She watched him stumble over and sit in the chair next to her, happier than she had seen him in a long time. It was nice to have Kai around past the summer, though the look on Rick's face said otherwise as he watched his little sister with the man he hated most. Claire chuckled as Karen pulled Rick's face closer and kissed the tip of his nose, causing him to go bright red and some of the group around to start whooping and making faces at him.

"H-hey Claire." She nearly jumped at the voice, feeling her heart shoot up into her throat, and turned to see Cliff smiling shyly at her. "Will you take a walk with me?" She nodded and they moved farther down the beach towards the water. Cliff walked close by her side casting sidelong glances in her direction. They were silent for the longest time, Claire almost felt like they had gone back in time to before he had left, when the silence in the air was enough to sustain the moment. The moon was out and giving enough light to see while still dimming the night."Y-you look really nice tonight Claire." He smiled up at her and she could see the pink hue creeping into his cheeks and she thanked him and gave a smile. "I'm, uh, really glad you decided to come tonight, I-I know it wasn't easy." She eyed him carefully, unsure of which of the many parts he was referring to. "I... I know what happened between you and Gray, I mean," her face dropped at this, "and I just wanted to let you know... well that I, uh, I'm not giving up."

Cliff's face took on a determined look as he stared hard at Claire. "I got a job today, at the winery, so I'm not going anywhere. I shouldn't have left in the first place. If I had stayed, then you would be with me instead of in a weird situation." Cliff looked down at the sand and Claire raised a hand to her neck. She still felt like her heart was beat up and confused right now, but it still pained her to think of the "what if" when it came to Cliff. He reached over and took her hand in his and turned to face her. His eyes looked sad as he whispered to her, "Do you hate me for it?"

Claire shook her head and a sad smile crept onto her face. He smiled at her in return and reached a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a twisted decorative flower and carefully looked at Claire before reaching up and brushing her hair behind her ear and placing it there. No part of her moved as the electricity of his touch shocked her into stillness. His hand hesitated and then came to rest on the side of her head while the other came up to brush a wave of hair from her eyes, finally coming to rest on her cheek. He stared at her for a moment, taking in how lovely she looked in the light of the moon, then leaned his face down to hers and kissed her softly on the lips. Claire's eyes went wide then slowly closed as she fell into the moment with Cliff. When he pulled his face back from hers his cheeks were pink and his smile sweet.

Claire's stared at him in shock, a look he found to be quite cute, and nervously glanced over to the bonfires. She took a quick breath when she saw Gray. His arms were crossed as he sat slumped lower in his seat with an angry look that pierced her as their eyes met. He turned his head back to the fire and pulled his hat farther down his face. "I think I'm going to go see Kai for a bit. Thank you for the flower Cliff." He seemed a bit confused saddened by her abrupt departure to what he thought was a perfect moment, but let her walk away from him.

Claire spotted Kai on the other side of the bonfire, his arm around Popuri, talking quietly with Gray. Even at this distance she could tell he was fuming. Her shoulders slumped forward and she almost left the beach, but Kai caught sight of her first. "Claire don't you dare!" he shouted as he eyed her with suspicion and pointed at the seat next to him and Popuri, "You can't leave when you've been here all of 20 minutes and haven't even joined in on the fun conversation." She sighed at him and a small chuckle escaped her at how dramatic he could be when he wanted. She walked over and sat next to the couple, careful to avoid looking at Gray and giving him a reason to open his mouth and go into rage mode.

Kai raised an eyebrow at Claire, a smile threatening to break through his "business" face, "Enjoying the party so far besty?" She shrugged, "Yeah it's been-" Kai stood up and pulled Popuri with him, "Well that was a fun conversation, gotta go." He winked and Popuri giggled into her hand as he led her away leaving Claire sitting wide eyed and alone with Gray.

The fire crackled as it reached to touch the sky and the two sitting nearest to it sat silently. Claire started thinking that she would be able to get up and leave when Gray looked up from under his hat at her. Her breath caught in her throat at the look of hurt and anger on his face. His face turned up to the stars, and when he opened his mouth to speak it was a husky voice that came out, "This night would have been a lot better if he hadn't come back." Gray shrugged after a moment of letting his statement sink in and gave a sidelong glance at her, "maybe not as good as the Fireworks festival, but it would have had potential." Claire could feel her face redden and her heart beat hard in her chest. "I can't ignore him Gray, he came all the way back here to find me with you, instead of where her thought I was; waiting for him."

"Yeah, because finding you in that darkness would be so sexy right?." He practically spat the words at her. "You know, he left here and didn't even _think_ to tell you how he felt, and if he did he sure as hell didn't bother acting on it. He just walked away and expected to let you go." The anger crept hard into his voice and he shook his head and snickered. "And I should have let him..." Grays arms uncrossed and he leaned forward and put his head in his hands in frustration. "I just don't understand why you would let him come back into your life as if it never happened."

"It's not that easy Gray... I thought that I loved him. And him coming back only brought back those memories, not the thoughts of being in that hell."

Gray growled in frustration, "And that's just it, you _should_ be thinking of it. Months! He let you sit like that for months without a word." Gray took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Claire, you may have been in the dark, but one day you're going to understand that I would never leave you alone in it." He lifted his face to lock eyes with her, "Even if you couldn't see me sitting next to you, I was there holding your hand in that dark place." A pained look crossed his face and he tugged his hat down over his eyes. "And I tried my damnedest to shine some sort of light for you." His voice was fading to a whisper and Claire felt her eyes prickling.

Gray stood and pulled Claire to her feet as he stared seriously at her. "And you should know that I'm going to keep trying," His face was fierce as it reflected the firelight. He reached a calloused hand to hold her chin and raise her gaze to his eyes, "because love is worth more than putting it away for fear of uncertainty. It's a fire that needs to blaze with life," He searched her gaze carefully, "and I would let my heart burn from it if the light would keep you safe from the dark for even a second."

He let go of her then and walked towards the beach entrance, never looking back at the woman who sat flushed and speechless at his parting words.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter in our tale! Hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave a comment ****I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the towns, names, etc etc etc*****

* * *

Claire wasn't sure how long they had been sitting at the table laughing. When Karen suggested they have a night in with some drinks she was apprehensive, knowing that Karen had a tendency to overdo it. But after the last two weeks of awkwardness she was having after the beach party figured it would be a good distraction from feelings and feuding men. When the first drink kicked in though, she was completely worry free and glad she had agreed to this night.

"Claire... listen Claire-Bear..." Karen slapped her fist on the table and both broke into fits of laughter. "Okay, okay. I'm serious now," a smirk escaped her lips followed by a hiccup, "So when are yooou... going to sort out this business with these guys eh?" Karen eyed her seriously at first, then her composure cracked. Claire couldn't help but chuckle before bringing a finger to her lips, staring at the ceiling feigning a deep thought.

"I dunno really," she sighed out with a shrug. Karen narrowed her eyes at Claire, "Seriously, you've got to just suck it up and be honest with yourself Claire! Of the two you've got to have some clue of who you want to be with yeah? I mean one of them has got to... got to be uh..." Karen eyed the table with suspicion. "Yeah that. You're really not being fair to yourself, or to them." Claire's eyebrows went up at the sudden passion of Karen's outburst. "I can say it 'cause I see it from the outside." She sighed, "Let's start at the beginning," Karen's words were starting to slur a bit, "tell me what's going on in your head 'bout them." She lifted her glass to drink and plopped it on the table now empty, folding her arms and giving Claire her best "I'm listening" face.

Claire sucked in a breath and focused on the grain of her new table. "Well, I guess I'm just wondering why Cliff came back. I mean, I wanted him to for so long but... when he did it was at the worst possible moment. I had moved on and opened myself up to Gray." Karen snickered and Claire narrowed her eyes at her, finally chuckling in response. "Before he left we spent so much time together. Everything just felt like it clicked into place." Claire frowned in thought, "well everything but us actually discussing our feelings I guess. So when he kissed me at the beach, I tried to fall into those moments again... as if him leaving had never happened. But my body felt like it had turned to stone."

Karen sat with rapt attention, "Sounds like it wasn't what you thought it'd be Claire. Maybe that's a bit telling?" She brought her glass to her lips and noticed it was empty. Glaring at the empty vessel she decided to refill from the bottle of rum in the fridge. Claire shuffled in her seat, her eyes squinting as she tried to focus through the haze of confusing memories and alcohol. "It's not the same as before. And I can't try to force it simply because he came back."

Karen nodded to her, "Just because he waltzed back in doesn't mean you have to have been where you were to get where you wanted to be when it's time to ..." She stopped at the confused look on Claire's face and cleared her throat, "You're don't owe him something 'cause he came back." Karen mouthed the word "right?" to herself in thought, and quickly her questioning look was replaced by a smug one. "And what about _Mr._ Gray?" They both giggled as Karen refilled their glasses.

Claire leaned back in her chair, pondering her midair glass with a smile. "He... is something unexpected. When he started hanging around he seemed to make everything better regardless of the consequences. Hell I cried in front of the man, and even though he was clearly uncomfortable, he tried to make me smile." Claire's gaze clouded over as she thought. "And he's been doing a good job of it ever since..."

"I thought he was going to bring a light into the dark, but instead he shattered that prison I had locked myself in. I knew it when he kissed me on the pier." Karen gave a sigh and her head came to rest on her hand, a dreamy smile passing over her face. Claire couldn't help but give a chuckle at the dramatic response, thinking that Karen saw this as one of her romance novels. She thought back to that night on the pier, her fingertips mindlessly tracing the curve of her glass and a smile breaking through. "He isn't a light in the dark... he's the Sun."

Karen's eyes were half closed as she reached clumsily over the table to rest a hand on Claire's, "You have to tell him that." Claire smiled inwardly and nodded. Cliff was her everything, but what she needed was one thing; Someone to love her without fear. And she knew now that she felt that for Gray as well. In that moment of peace, as Karens head slumped onto her outstretched arm, she realized she just wanted to be near him.

Claire's legs wobbled as she cleared the table, jerking awkwardly when the sound of thunder rang out loud and clear. She covered Karen with a blanket from the couch and walked out the door, praying to the Goddess that the oncoming storm would not keep her from her destination.

* * *

Claire was half way to the inn when the rain started, heavy and cold. It mentally sobered her fast and she nearly turned back for home before telling herself she needed to do this. Her feet sloshed around in her shoes and her hair clung to her face as she walked up to the inn smiling, knowing that after tonight things would be different.

Inside the inn was packed and loud enough so that nearly no one noticed her slip carefully up the stairs towards the guest rooms. Her heart began to hammer in her chest and she was sure that it could be heard all the way downstairs. She reached the door and noticed it was cracked open. She peeked through it to make sure it was only Gray in the room, and saw him standing near the window in the dimly lit room. Even though she could only see the edge of his back she blushed when she noted that he was shirtless. She knocked on the door softly before giving it a push. Gray turned his head to the noise and Claire gasped. With a full view of the scene she realized he wasn't alone. Mary was standing close and his arms were loosely wrapped around her, eyes wide as he stared at Claire. "I... sorry.." She could feel her face go red and pulled the door shut quickly and ran for the stairs. She heard the door swing open and Grays voice call out to her frantically, but she ignored it.

When her feet hit the pavement outside she broke into a run as she tried to blink back tears. _Too late..._ Hearing her own voice taunting her she ran hard until she felt sand crunch wetly under her shoes. She slowed only to pull off them off and discard them before glancing at Kai's shop, only to find it dark and deserted. She looked down the beach to find no one in sight and felt a sob hit her throat before she bolted to the pier.

When she reached the pier she slowed and retraced her steps from the night of the Fireworks festival, coming to a stop where she had sat with Gray. The rain pelted her head as she sat down and silently berated herself for avoiding her feelings for too long. She glared at the darkness around her as her chest heaved from the run. She let the rain wash over her face as she remembered the feel of his lips on hers. "Damn it Claire." She groaned as she threw herself back to the pole they had leaned on that night and gasped as she missed. Her legs jerked off the pier as they followed, spinning her in her descent and tossing her head forward to smash into the leg of the pier, the darkness closing around her before she hit the water below.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello awesome readers! Sorry for the delay in chapter release, I'm still a little unsure of how quickly I should be getting chapters out and I was traveling for a few days. Hopefully you enjoy and would like to comment, I have virtual cookies and am planning to put some responses in my author note here next time. A Huge thanks to everyone who has commented, I really appreciate your positive feedback, wasn't sure how well all of this would go over as my first fanfic :) **I do not own Harvest Moon or any of it's characters, named, settings, etc etc etc****

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Her eyes opened and she was assaulted by lights. A gasp choked in her throat as she tried to shift and was greeted with a flash of pain through her body, everything seemed to hurt. Claire groaned quietly and glanced around the room with groggy eyes. The ceiling alone let her know she was in the clinic, she remembered glancing at it the last time she was in here from exhaustion. It took her a moment to remember what happened before she blacked out, and she felt a bitterness creep into her chest.

The curtain swung back and in walked the doctor glancing through papers on a clipboard. Claire turned her gaze towards him and noted that even that small movement was enough to send a wave of aching nausea through her. "Doc," a shocked expression crossed her face as she heard her gravely voice. He Raised his eyes to meet hers and gave a warm smile as she tried to lift her head, falling back from another wave of nausea.

"Ah, Claire. I would recommend you _not_ move about, you had quite a tumble." He chuckled and approached her to look over her injuries. He started by shining a light in her eyes and making her follow it. He seemed pleased with what he saw, at least Claire hoped he was pleased, it was usually hard to tell. He followed with a few more tests involving her gripping his hands and asking questions about her to test her memory out. He nodded and pulled the bed sheet off of her, which is when she noticed she was in a thin hospital gown and sporting a cast around her left leg.

"You have a hairline fracture on your fibula, but the x-ray looks good." He eyed the cast around her leg and glanced at her, "You're going to need to get some help on your farm though Claire, I don't want you on that leg for at least a few weeks. It's a clean injury, but still needs plenty of rest." Claire grimaced and the pain in her chest increased. She reached a hand to rub the area and the doctor glared, "That, however, is an injury from his incorrect use of CPR. Honestly," he seemed angry and exasperated now, "you are lucky he didn't break a rib, though that would have probably happened if he had preformed it correctly."

Claire's gave the doctor a questioning look and he gave the answer that made her even more miserable, "Gray fished you out." He chuckled at his own wit. "He's in the waiting room, said he wanted to see you when you woke up." An eyebrow went up as he shot a questioning look to her. Claire shook her head slowly, focusing on a spot on the ceiling to keep from feeling sick. "Are you sure? He's been out there since you got here a few hours ago, seems really worried." Concern filled his face as she continued to shake her head, thinking to herself _nope, no chance in hell_. "Very well. I'll be discharging you in the morning, who would you like to help you home then?"

Karen came in as Elli was helping Claire out of the bed and onto her new set of crutches. "See and _this_ is why you don't leave the house alone after you've had a few." Karen smirked at Claire as she took papers from Elli outlining care instructions for her injuries. "C'mon, lets get you home and then I'll yell at you."

The walk was slow, and there were a handful of stops as Claire got used to the crutches. Kai was waiting for them outside the winery, a worried expression blanketing his face. "Goddess Claire, what were you thinking eh?" His worry melted into anger as he eyed her bruised head and cast covered leg. "So what does Gray have to do with all of this? He stormed into the room pretty late, mad as hell, and not a word other than 'Claire fell off the pier'."

Claire's eyes went slightly wide as she realized what Kai could be thinking, "For starters, it's nothing like what you're thinking may have happened. He pulled me out of the water." Kai gave her a pointed look and twirled his hand at her to go on as the anger slowly seeped out of his face. "Ok look, I had a few drinks with Karen last night," he glared at Karen and she returned it while sticking out her tongue at him, "and stupidly decided that I wanted to see Gray... I kind of had an epiphany last night that I wanted to share with him." She glanced worriedly at Karen, who nodded and smiled softly in approval at her.

"And that led to the pier in the rain how exactly?" a skeptical eyebrow went up on Kai as he let annoyance creep into his voice. He still wasn't sure who he should be getting angry with, but he was sure someone was going to hear it from him.

Claire's eyes turned down as she remembered the sight she walked in on, "Well... When I got to the inn, soaking wet and looking like a fool, Gray was... preoccupied." Karen and Kai both gave her a questioning look before glancing confused to each other. A sigh escaped Claire as she realized she had to admit the truth of what happened, mostly to herself now. "He was with Mary. In his room uh... shirtless." She felt her face go red at the fresh embarrassment she felt. Both of her friends were staring at her openmouthed, all anger briefly replaced by shock.

Kai recovered first and his attitude turned stony. "Karen, please go tell Popuri I will be late today, and let her know Claire is okay." Karen opened her mouth to protest, indignation etched all over it. Kai took one quick look at her and she stopped, nodded, and took off for the poultry farm. He turned back to Claire and eyed her up and down. "Cmon, let's get you home."

"I need to go to the inn actually, I've got to make a call." Kai searched her face and finally nodded. He walked beside her slowly until they got into the inn, neither of them saying a word. It was early enough that no one was in the inn to gawk at her, but not so early that she would run into Gray or Cliff. Kai helped her to the counter and got a stool for her to sit on as she dialed the number, a worried expression on her face. _He's probably still sleeping... but he'll just have to get over it_. Kai watched with curiosity as she began to scowl and grip the bridge of her nose with her free hand. She disconnected the line and dialed once more.

Her eyes snapped open a moment later and she started a quiet conversation with whoever it was that answered the other end. Claire seemed nervous as she started, "Hey! Listen, uhm, sorry I woke you up, but it's an emergency." Kai could hear a frantic voice on the other end of the line and Claire sighed, "yeah I'm ok, I just had an accident and I need some help on the farm." The rest of the conversation went on with Claire giving one word answers and finally a giant sigh of relief, "Thank you! Ok I'll see you in a few days then... mmhm love you too." She hung up the phone and Kai gave her a curious look.

"Jack will be here in a few days, he's going to help out with the farm." Kai nodded his sudden comprehension, remembering hearing Claire talk about her brother before. From what he knew, Jack was looking into his own farm in the surrounding areas to be closer to his sister, and he was also more protective of her than Kai was. He gave her a happy smile, which dropped quickly as she turned towards the door. He glanced to the room he shared with Gray and Cliff, silently praying to the Goddess for their safety after Jack heard the whole story of what was going on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back to the next chapter! I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reading and commenting, it's really made this a fun project for me and inspired me to do more when this one concludes. Hopefully the speed I'm releasing at isn't problematic. I also wanted to respond to some of the comments so here goes!**

**liane - Thank you for all of your praises! They just made my day :). I'm also glad to approach some of the characters in a different light. I could never see Kai as the bad guy, he's just more comical to me and has such a big heart, and Karen I just love as a good friend (another one I can't see as being this mean person so much as just blunt and true to herself). If I ever do a cracked pair I may just look into a fun Claire x Karen for ya lol. **

**KeepCalmandReview - Thank you for your feedback! I was a little unhappy with the last two chapters and I think the pacing was exactly why! I love getting feedback of any kind so no worries there. This is my first story shared so publicly so I am all about honing my skills to tell a better story :). Thank you for subscribing!**

**Here is the next chapter! It took a bit of editing, and I managed to completely change the direction I was going with it to get somewhat happy with it. Hopefully you all enjoy! Feel free to leave a note, grab a virtual cookie, and ask any questions or anything :) **

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It had been nearly a week since Claire had fallen from the pier, and Gray still hadn't seen her. He knew that she was home, and also that she was pretty banged up, but she refused to let him see her. He was starting to get a bit pissed about the entire situation as he sat in his room waiting for Kai to come back from helping her on the farm, figuring now was as good a time as any to get someone to listen to him. By the time Kai walked into the room he was covered in dirt and smelled like manure.

An exhausted "Yo" escaped his lips before he plopped down at the table. It was the first thing Kai had said to him in all this time, and Gray was sure it was only because he was too tired to be angry. "Hey. I think we need to have a chat." Kai lifted his head to roll his eyes at Gray and gave a sigh, finally nodding his approval.

Gray could feel the heat rising in his face at this reaction. "Listen, everybody needs to stop acting like I'm some kind of leper. You don't even know what the hell the full story is and I'm really done with no one bothering to get it!" His voice was turning into a growl quickly. It was bad enough to get a lot of disappointment and hell from his grandfather, he didn't need it from the rest of the town, especially those he thought were his friends.

Kai narrowed his eyes at Gray and shook his head, "Ya know, I'm not sure there's much else to the story other than you being a total ass. How could you do that to Claire? What kind of _jerk_ leads a girl on like that eh? And just because she needs time to sort out her feelings you go ahead and invite another girl up to the room?! What were-" The look Gray was giving him stopped his rant quickly. Kai was pretty sure that if he went on he was going to get a fist to the face.

Gray was glaring so intensely he wasn't sure how he was managing to keep himself still. As Kai went silent Gray took a step forward, causing him to flinch. "Listen," his voice was low and surprisingly steady, "I was not in here making a pass at Mary like everyone seems to think. I didn't ask her to come here, she just showed up okay." Kai gave him a skeptical look but said nothing. "She decided that with me half naked and just out of the shower it was a good time to talk about her feelings. Feelings I don't share." Gray sighed and looked to the floorboards as he thought back on that night. Kai watched him carefully as Gray clenched and unclenched his fists. His eyes narrowed again as he looked back up at Kai. "She was upset when I rejected her and I stupidly tried to make her feel better. And Claire walked in. She wouldn't even let me explain before she ran out of the room!" He threw his hands into the air in exasperation.

Kai sucked in a breath and brought his hand up to rub his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. When his eyes opened he extended his palm up and shook his head. "Do you even know why she was here that night?" Gray gave a small shake of his head, a stern look plastered on his face. Kai sighed as he rolled his eyes, "She was coming here to tell you some epiphany she had. I can't get it out of her still, but I'm pretty sure she made her choice on who she wanted." All of Gray's anger dropped from his face and was replaced with dismay. "Yeah, exactly. So seeing that? Probably didn't help you."

Gray's eyes seemed to glaze over as his mind started racing. He looked at Kai and glanced to the door. "I'm going over there." He rushed out the door and Kai jumped up to follow. He was out the front door of the inn before Kai caught up, catching him by the arm and stopping him. "Gray! You need to know what you're walking into here. Claire's brother just got to her farm today," Gray opened his mouth to protest but Kai shook his head, "and he is very protective of her. If Claire told him what all happened a few days ago, he probably isn't going to want you anywhere near her."

Gray tried to snatch his arm away and glared at Kai. "I don't care. I'm going to talk to Claire, and no one is going to keep me from her."

Kai shook his head at him, "If you go over there it's only going to cause more problems for her than she needs right now." Gray halted in his fight to tug away from Kai and looked back at him. "If you just leave it be, I'll talk to her for you. I'll tell her what you told me and make sure she knows the truth."

Gray looked angry enough to punch Kai right there, but snorted instead, "Well you'd better get moving if you're going to tell her today. 'Cause you _are_ telling her today." Kai sighed with a look of 'why me'. "I just finished pulling weeds out of her entire field and being questioned by her brother like I was some kind of criminal." Kai threw his hands in the air as Gray glared at him. "Fine. Juuust fine. I'm sure I'll see Popuri eventually right? I mean, it's not like I stayed longer so I could see her anyways right?" Kai turned about and continued to grumble and complain as he walked back to Claire's farm. He glanced back before turning down the side road and saw Gray still standing outside of the inn watching him with his hands in his pockets. "He is sooooo going to owe me."

When Kai got back to the farm he found Claire almost immediately. Even though Doc had told her to stay off of her leg for a few weeks, she was already back out in her fields. Kai stomped over to her, worried that he would somehow be held responsible for her complete dismissal of a doctors orders. "And just what do you think you're doing out here on that leg?!" She jumped at the sound of his voice and when she turned her eyes were wide as she clutched a red bell shaped flower in her hands.

Claire raised a hand to her chest and a nervous laugh escaped her. "Goddess Kai, I thought you were Jack." She pulled a crutch to herself and leaned on it as she rose form the ground. "He's been here a few hours and he's already getting on my last nerve with his 'Claire you need to rest' all the time. But how am I supposed to rest when this happens? When's the last time you saw a red one?" Her joyful face turned to mild annoyance, "and since when do you get all snippy with me about what I do eh?" She poked him playfully in the chest and they both laughed. "But seriously, what are you doing back here? I thought you were heading for a shower and Popuri?"

Kai grinned and shrugged, "Oh you know, just can't resist a damsel in distress." He waggled his eyebrows at her and they shared another laugh. "But I do need to talk to you about something. Someone. Well Gray, I need to talk to you about Gray." Claire's eyes narrowed and she turned away from Kai and started hobbling back to the house. "Claire, seriously? You can't just walk away from me because I _mentioned_ him. And you can't keep ignoring him in general!" Kai called to her.

When she turned back to him her face was red and angry as she shouted, "I can damn well ignore him as much as I want Kai. And since when did you decide to start passing on messages for the guy you were calling a bastard this morning?" Kai blanched at the sudden attack from Claire. They had been talking briefly about Gray over the last few days, but Claire never seemed this angry about it. He was almost worried she was going back to that dark place where she grieved for the loss of Cliff, and becoming very aware that she was obviously in love with the guy. He watched now as her eyes showed the hurt she was feeling and tears welling up. He went to speak, but she cut him off. "He made his decision Kai, I don't need it shoved down my throat. And I sure as hell don't need to be reminded that it's my own damn fault for tak-" Kai walked over and slapped a hand over her mouth.

She stared at him indignantly and licked his hand. It was a childish move, but not the first time she had used it on her best friend, and it worked every time but today. "You got it wrong Claire. He wasn't with Mary the way you're thinking, he was being kind to her when he rejected her feelings for him. Because of you." Claire's jaw went slack as she stared silently at Kai, letting the ridiculousness of the last few days sink in. Kai pulled his hand back and wiped it on his pants, a look of "eeeeeeew!" written all over him as he stared at his stiff hand.

"He... he isn't with Mary?" Kai shook his head seriously and wiped his hand on his pants once more. "Oh Goddess I'm an idiot!" Claire slapped her palm onto her forehead and started turning, frantically searching for something. "Where is that damn horse?!"

Kai grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look at him, "Tell me you're not seriously going to try and ride a horse with a broken leg?" Claire gave an exasperated sigh as she explained, "It's not broken, there's a small fracture. I can already put some weight on to it."

Kai glared at her in disbelief, "You shouldn't be putting _any_ weight on it period. Look," He grabbed her face with both hands and forced her to look him in the eye, "the point is, now is not the time to go riding off into the sunset and having some kind of tryst. I'll let him know what's up and he can come by and talk to you. Preferably when Jack isn't around to give him the stink eye." Kai turned her head to the farm house and they saw Jack peeking out at them curiously.

Claire looked back to Kai and nodded, "Fine. I'll wait. Just tell him to come by tomorrow, Jack's going to the library to pick up some books on farming for dummies..." Claire chuckled and reached up to pull Kai's hands off of her face. She held on to his hands for a moment and looked to him, "Thank you... for telling me all of this." She leaned forward and put her head on his chest, and he pat her head with his hand. "I hate to admit it but I was starting to feel like my heart was closing up for good. Thinking that I had lost Gray..." She sighed heavily against Kai's chest, "I was almost wishing I had hit my head harder on the pier." She felt his body tense and looked up to see his wide eyes. "Not to die you dummy! So I didn't have to remember how I feel about him when I would eventually see him around Mary. Goddess Kai, you're smarter than that." She swatted at him playfully and he managed to lean clearly away from it without throwing her off balance.

"Claire? What's going on out there?" Jack had poked his head outside and they could both see the glare he was tossing in Kai's direction. "Yo! Kai what are you doing back already? Need some more chores to take care of?" Kai shook his head and turned back to see Claire lost in thought, a small smile on her lips. It made him happy to see her smiling again, that glint of hope in her eyes again.

"The Harvest Festival is coming up Claire. Maybe you could use that night to have a little chat with your guy. You know, maybe figure out what the hell is going on between the two of you so the rest of us can have a name for it eh?" She nodded through the rosy blush that was creeping into her cheeks and Kai winked. "Everything is going to get better from here Claire, promise." He hugged her tight and helped her back to the house.

At the door Claire handed the red flower to him. "Give it to him for me?" She smiled down at the flower, "They're an anomaly, something that pops up where you never expect it." Her smile was soft and he knew she was thinking of Gray. He smiled back at her and nodded his understanding as he took the flower.


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome to chapter 10! I have names for each, and perhaps one day I will put them in when I'm satisfied that they fit properly lol. Thank you to YOU the readers of awesome! {virtual} COOKIES FOR ALL! I was initially worried about posting chapters too quickly, but I decided that there's no real reason to hold em back if they're done and I've edited as much as I feel I can to be happy with it. So expect updates to come more than once a week at least. A big thank you to those of you reviewing, they are putting smiles on my face and helping me when I hit a little block. **

**Unfledgedd - Thank you! I am so glad that you are enjoying the story! I'm loving writing it and seeing where the characters are telling me they want to go!**

**Liane - You take all the cookies you want! And don't you worry, Claire will indeed have to work, I don't believe in letting characters off the hook that easily ;D. And I just love Kai, he is too easy to make into a good guy, and he loves cookies!**

**KeepCalmandReview - Oh I do love a Claire that isn't all bubbly too! It works in the game, but in real life things just aren't so cut and paste :). She's more complicated and definitely full of spunk! Shhh, Gray may indeed have something to say in the future about his feelings for Claire and where they came from ;).**

**So here it is, the 10th chapter! **I don't own anything Harvest Moon but the games in my systems** Enjoy!**

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Jack was grumbling to himself as he walked to up to the library. Claire had informed him that a friend was coming over while he was out and that just didn't sit well with him. However, he had already told that Basil guy he would be coming in for the books, and Jack was nothing if not true to his word. He reached for the doorknob and stepped into the quietest library he had even been in. True, a library was generally quiet, but this one didn't even have those subtle noises you would find in one. He was just about to call out for anyone there when something collided with him.

When the flurry of airborne papers cleared he was left staring down at a lovely woman scrambling on the floor. "S-sorry! I was so lost in thought I wasn't paying attention." She glanced up at him through her glasses and he stood in silence for an uncomfortable period of time. The woman blushed at the awkward situation and he quickly came to his senses and dropped to the floor to gather up the papers she had dropped.

"Oh it was my fault, I didn't even see you there." He never took his eyes off of her as they hastily collected the rest of the strewn papers. "Jack, by the way." His mind raced furiously as a heat rose into his face. She was beautiful, and adorably frazzled. He reached a hand out and helped her up. He handed her his pile of papers and she clumsily tried to flatten her flyaway hair and skewed glasses as she smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm Mary. Welcome to the library! Not many people come in so when I am working on something I tend to get a bit lost in my thoughts and..." She grinned sheepishly and a blush crept over her face, "well I don't notice anything."

Jack nodded at her and glanced around the library, "Do you need any help? With your thoughts? I mean, well with whatever is on your mind or... do you need any help?" He groaned at his awkward speech and glanced sideways at Mary. She was giggling at him, her hand raised to her mouth and her eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Thank you Jack, but it's nothing really. I'm working on a novel and I just got a little stuck with the plot. It's very kind of you to offer though. Is there anything I can help you find while you're here?" She smiled enthusiastically at him. In this moment he was sure she had already helped him find something he didn't even know he was looking for. He allowed a smile to break through his nervousness and decided that being at the library for a while may not be such a bad thing.

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With the cast on her leg she was finding it harder and harder to get into her regular clothes, so she decided to put on another long blue skirt to go with her flannel shirt. It didn't exactly make the best match, but Claire decided she wasn't going to worry about that. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and decided to sit outside by her apple tree to wait and see if Gray would be coming.

They hadn't really gotten to spend time together, or even speak more than a few awkward sentences to each other since the bonfire. Between Cliff kissing her and then the misunderstanding the other day, Claire was sure that she had a lot of explaining to do herself.

She sat at the apple tree and pondered the first of those subjects and felt guilt creep into her. She hadn't intended on kissing Cliff, and was shocked when he was the one to initiate the simple peck. Before that moment her feelings were torn between the two and confusion seemed to rule her world. When it happened though, clarity settled over her and she saw that she was never torn, only full of regret for her lack of action.

She knew that that moment had been the catalyst for the sundering of whatever she had with Gray, and because she had let it happen, it was her fault. She hung her head at the realization of it and groaned, "What the hell is wrong with you Claire?" She shook her head and glared at her hands.

"If you figure it out, I'd like to know too." Claire nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice. She didn't even hear Gray as he had walked up behind her and now her face was growing hot as she realized he had heard her talking to herself. When she peered around the tree he had a small smile on his face. He made a gesture at the spot on the ground next to her and she nodded her head at him.

He leaned back into the tree and looked over Claire, taking in her fading bruises and the cast on her leg. He pulled his cap down over his face and cleared his throat before speaking, something Claire found she had missed. "So what's the damage? No one bothered telling me anything." The annoyance was hitched in his voice, "the doc told me he couldn't even tell me your state even though I'm the one who brought you in, can you believe that?" He threw a hand in the air in irritation before he noticed Claire's wide eyed stare. "I'm not sorry. You could have died and I wouldn't have known until they started digging the grave with the way things were going."

Claire hung her head and nodded. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke to her lap, "I'm so sorry Gray. I'm sorry for so many things, I don't even know where to start..." She reached a hand up to rest on her neck and Gray noticed she was still wearing the necklace he made for her. It surprised him for a moment before he reminded himself that he was still a little angry with this woman and wanted answers.

Gray gazed out towards the fields and kept from looking directly at her, "Well start at the beginning then." He caught her head lift up and look at him in his peripheral. He clenched his hands and stuffed them into his pockets. Claire sucked in a breath and steadied herself.

"I'm sorry that I let Cliff kiss me." Gray nearly flinched at this. He remembered the moment at the bonfire when he glanced over curiously at the pair on their walk and Kai almost had to physically restrain him as Cliff grabbed Claire's face and leaned in. "I should have done something, anything, to just not let it happen." Gray nodded as he kept his focus on the chicken coop. "The only good that came from it was that I realized my feelings for Cliff were misguided." Claire's words started to falter as she fought the instinct to to hide her feelings now. "I... I realize now that I didn't love him." Claire looked forward and squeezed her eyes shut before finishing, "because whatever it is I feel for you is stronger." Gray's eyes widened underneath the brim of his cap and he felt his insides go cold with nerves as his body stiffened.

Claire let her breath out in a heavy sigh of relief. It felt good to be honest about her feelings after so long. She looked over at Gray and noticed his still frame and reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. "I'm also sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I was so stupid for taking so long, and when I finally built up the courage to say anything to you I ended up walking in on a... sensitive situation... and misinterpreting it." Claire grimaced, "And I didn't even give you a chance to explain it, though I should have known better in the first place." She shifted her body and leaned forward to peer under Gray's hat.

His eyes were staring straight ahead into the brim of his hat, wide and unblinking before they darted to her face. "I really am sorry Gray." His lips parted as if he meant to speak, but nothing came out. "I don't know what to do to make it up to you, but I'll start with telling Cliff that there's nothing for him on this farm other than vegetables." Claire cracked a smile and the corner of Gray's lip twitched up.

Claire leaned back to the tree, checking that it was indeed still behind her first. "I just miss you..." Claire leaned forward, pulled up her good leg, and wrapped her arms around it. "And I will do whatever I can to at least earn your friendship back."

They sat quietly for a moment before Gray sighed. Without looking at her, he reached an arm behind her and tucked her close to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he sighed. "I missed you too Claire."

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When Jack got back to the farm he had basically finished planning out the rest of his life with Mary. The goofy grin on his face hadn't faded since he left the library. He had never spent more than a few minutes in any library, but now he was pretty sure it was his favorite thing to do. They spent over an hour looking at books together and talking about anything and everything that came to mind. It was a bit bold for him, but he had decided to ask her on a date before he left. Her face had gone the brightest shade of pink and his nerves almost made him leave before he got the answer. When she nodded a wide eyed yes he had literally jumped for joy. His day couldn't get any better.

When he saw his little sister cuddled up to some random guy he knew was probably one of the jerks she had told him about, he had a hard time maintaining his composure. "Hey!" They both turned to stare at him in surprise. "Who the hell are you and why are you molesting my sister?!" He stomped closer to the two and reached a hand down to a confused Claire. She hesitantly took his hand and he hoisted her up and away from Gray. "Since you're not 'rocking' a ponytail I assume you're Blue?"

Gray stood and dusted off his hands on his pants and smirked. "It's Gray actually. You must be Jack." He held a hand out to Jack and waited.

Jack glared at his hand and ignored it as he pulled Claire closer to him and grabbed her crutches. "I really don't give a damn what you're name is man. Just stay the hell away from my sister." Jack pushed the crutches into Claire's arms and turned her towards the house. Claire turned to look over her shoulder at Gray, worry creeping into her face.

"Look I don't know what you think was happening here but it's-" Gray's eyes went wide as Jack turned and strode right up to him until their faces were only inches apart. He had never met Jack, but he was pretty sure the guy already hated him.

"I don't give a shit what was happening. I know what already happened. You screwed my sister over and she ended up breaking her leg and nearly losing her livelihood because of it." Jack clenched his hands into fists as he glared at Gray, almost hoping he would give him a reason to hit him.

Gray's eyes narrowed and he felt the heat rise in his entire body as he tensed. _This guy is out of his mind_. It was Claire who brought both of them out of their death stare as she shouted, "Stop it! Right now, both of you! Jack, who I hang out with is my business."

Unafraid of Claire, Jack turned on her with his glare and shouted back, "Yeah and look at how well you have handled your business so far." He threw his hand out and gestured at her current state. Claire's eyes went wide and filled with hurt. She turned as quickly as she could with crutches and started making her way back to the house. Jack groaned heavily and called to her, "Claaaaire, I'm sorry!" He turned to glare at Gray when he made a move to follow Claire and pointed to the front entrance. "You need to leave. Now."

Gray gave a small and scornful laugh before turning away from Jack and walking towards the house. He could hear Jack groaning behind him and mumbling something how he should have stayed at the library. Gray caught up to Claire and gave a sympathetic smile. Her face was flushed and she looked flustered. When her eyes met his she opened her mouth, "I'm so-" and he cut her off with a finger to her lips.

Gray leaned forward and kissed her forehead, effectively silencing her. "Nope. This one is on him." He chuckled as he thought back to a few months ago, "Maybe I'll see if Ann will pass notes for me as well." He winked at Claire and she smiled.

Jack stomped over to the pair and his eyes shone with agitation. "Dude, get the fuuuu-" Claire punched his shoulder and glared at him. He returned the look before clearing his throat and returning his attention to Gray. "Okay. One. Get the hell off my sisters property. Two." He looked to Claire with an oomph as she elbowed him with her crutch. "Three. Don't come near my sister."

Gray put up three fingers and tapped each one in succession as he gave a thoughtful and pointed glance to the sky. Jack groaned and turned Claire to the door. Once she was inside, giggling loud enough to be heard outside, Jack turned back to Gray. "Listen. You may have her fooled, but I'm going to let you know right now; It's not going to happen." He glared one more time at Gray before turning and walking into the house.

Gray could hear the bolt of the door being slammed into place before he took a step away from the front of the house. He smiled as his thoughts raced. _The day could have gone worse_. His mind was racing with fantastical thoughts of Claire when he heard a hissing noise. He turned to the side of the quiet farmhouse to see Claire leaning out an open window waving him over. He glanced around and snuck close to her smiling face and blushed when he realized she was in a thin pajama dress.

"I'm sorry about my idiot brother, he can go a little overboard sometimes." Gray chuckled lightly and put his hand on the window frame. "I have to see the doc tomorrow at noon to check on my leg. Unfortunately, Jack will be busy so it'll be just me." Her face went serious and she reached out and touched his hand. "I..." Claire smiled nervously as Gray eyed her hand. He looked into her face and nodded with a smile.

A knock sounded from inside the room and Claire called out a "just a minute", worry all over her face. Gray smiled at her before turning his hand and twining his fingers with hers. "I'll see you tomorrow Claire." He stepped back and their hands stayed locked for another pace before he turned and made his way back to the inn, a smile on his face for the first time in weeks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Whew what a time to get a bit of a brain block! Here it is, chapter 11! It's a nice long one, hopefully that'll excuse my lack of posting as normal in the last few days. I am SO glad you're all enjoying the story so far! I love that I can reach through the computer and help ease a stressful day or bring a laugh, that's what this is all about; evoking the emotions of others with a story :) So here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment (A huge thanks to those that do, or even those that don't but have stuck around!) or take a delicious virtual cookie for your time! 3 **I don't own Harvest Moon or the characters etc etc etc** **

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Claire felt the chill of the season creep up her legs and frowned at the path she walked. _What a perfect time to not be able to wear pants_. Despite the cold, and lack of warm pants, she was excited to see Gray again. After he had left her window she tried to explain why he had been there to Jack, who decided he still didn't want him around. She didn't care either way though, trying to make him see the reality of it was more of a courtesy to her brother. She loved Jack, of course, but she had made the decision to buy the farm on her own and live her life as she pleased. She replayed the events in her head and almost missed the call of her name in the distance ahead.

Her head popped up and she saw Cliff leaning against the railing of the winery, his arms dangling over the beam as he stared nervously at her. Both of them stood still for a moment before Claire hobbled her way to the fence. Over the last few weeks they had been around each other and spoken easily enough, but it had been awkward and full of the company of others. Claire was sure she owed at least an apology for avoiding him, especially since she had been rejecting any romantic intentions he had been projecting towards her. "Hey Cliff. How's it going?"

His shoulders curled forward as he took in the sight of her. He had visited her a few times after her accident, but she refused any help from him on the farm and seemed uncomfortable with his presence. It was something that had been eating away at him since the last time he had tried to hold her hand, and enough so that he even talked to Ann for some advice. "Hey. It's... well it's going I guess. Headed to the docs?" She nodded and he returned the gesture.

"Cliff... I'm sorry," She paused when he turned his worried eyes to her. "I know I've been avoiding you lately, and I just feel I owe you an apology for that." He looked at her with hesitation in his eyes and she decided it was time to let go of everything in her mind and be honest and blunt. Taking in the face of her friend, she felt her feelings float away like a lost balloon. "I also want to apologize for leading you on. It wasn't right of me, even if I was confused." She grimaced as she felt the words leave her lips, it almost felt wrong to reject him, but she had moved on from that "if" in her life. "I love you Cliff," His face started to slowly brighten, and she could hear the wail in her head as she brought down the hammer, "but not in the way you want me to." Cliff stiffened and his face froze for a moment as his gaze turned to the ground.

When he finally looked back to her his face had a sad smile on it. "You know, I thought that coming back here would be a lot different." A scoff escaped his lips as he leaned up from the fence. "I was so sure that... that you and I would be happy. And instead all of this happened." He gestured widely with his arm then slapped the post. His eyes lost focus as his thoughts escaped from his lips. "He fell for you while trying to keep you happy until I came back..." Claire seemed confused as she took in his words. She knew he was talking about Gray, but she didn't understand what he meant about him knowing Cliff would even come back. Cliff caught the expression and smiled as he turned to lean backwards on the fence and stare up at the sky. He sighed before he looked into her eyes, "Gray is the one who sent the letter to me Claire. Figured it out when Duke had me pick up some barrels being repaired at the blacksmiths. He wrote out the receipt and I recognized the writing."

It his her hard as she realized that that was why she had also recognized the writing in the letter. A number of emotions crossed her face as Cliff carefully watched her expression. He gave another sigh and reached out to touch her hand. "I get it Claire, and I can't say I didn't see it coming after the bonfire. I guess I can't fight for your love if there's none there. But... if you decide that he isn't what your heart wants... maybe you could consider me again?" He grimaced at his own words and turned to see Claire's smiling face.

"I could only promise that if I wasn't sure..." She almost felt guilty about her feelings, but decided it was best to be honest. "But I can promise that I will always be here for you as a friend, if you'll have me."

Cliff chuckled at the worry that suddenly clouded her face. "You can't get rid of me that easily Claire. We were friends first, and we always will be." He tried to hide the hurt in his heart, but he was sure she could still sense it; They had been best friends for a while after all. Instead of prolonging the moment he decided it would be easier to get lost in his work than in her smile, a smile that belonged to someone else now. He nodded his head towards the cold vineyard and excused himself with, "Well I guess I should get back to it then."

Claire felt odd walking away from Cliff knowing that he was still upset, but all she could think was that this was best for everyone involved. It was just his way to not want to talk about it in depth she didn't think it would be fair to force him to. She gathered her crutches and watched as Cliff walked away, throwing a sad smile her way when he glanced over his shoulder. She smiled back and said a silent prayer to the Goddess that he find the one who was meant for him. With a sigh she turned back towards the road to the clinic.

It didn't take her as long to get there as it did to travel home from it a week ago. Claire was hoping to hear some good news, so when the doc finished his examination with a smile she was hopeful. "Well Claire, we may have put a cast on a little preemptively. It looks like what I thought was a fracture is a small bone chip that was nestled close to the fibula." His face faltered slightly and he cleared his throat. "It's an old machine honestly. However, I think it's safe to say we can take that off and stick to some physical therapy and light use."

Claire was overjoyed at this news and sat patiently as he removed the cast and inspected the impressive bruise that still covered the side of her leg. The area was tender when she stood on it, but she could stand on it without assistance and that was good enough for her. The gleeful smile was still on her face when she walked into the waiting room, and it spread even wider when she saw Gray sitting on the couch. Claire gave him a smug look and lifted her skirt slightly to reveal her now bare leg.

Gray blanched at the large bruise covering her leg and forced a smile when hers faltered. "So, when the Goddess magically healed your leg she forgot to remove the bruise then?" They both chuckled and Claire explained everything quickly.

"Well then, sounds like we should get you somewhere to rest that leg then." They decided to go to the beach in order to avoid as many people as possible. They slowly made their way to the beach and Claire decided to wait until they were out of earshot of any gossipers before telling him about running into Cliff earlier.

When they got to the beach the air was chilled. Claire suggested they sit on a bench in the sand, "It'll be a lot harder for me to fall off of," she had chuckled. Claire looked over to Kai's shop and saw him walking back inside from his afternoon break, waving and giving a thumbs up as he walked inside. She turned her attention back to Gray, noticing the distance between them as they sat.

She dug her foot in the sand and smiled down at the sight of her bare leg. "I saw Cliff on my way to the clinic earlier." Gray leaned back and looked out to the sky, responding with an, "oh?" and she giggled silently to herself at how nervous he sounded in that one simple word. "Yeah. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to approach the situation, but I told him how I felt. I was a bit to the point, almost harshly so, but I just couldn't let him think otherwise any longer. The uncomfortable situation isn't as bad as knowing he was fighting a losing battle. I just... I really hope that one day we can be friends like before." Gray was stunned with the bluntness she had used, but glad that Cliff had the truth and could move forward from there. When she glanced over at him she saw the small smile forming on his lips and his body relax slightly.

Both of their heads turned to the sound of sand crunching under feet and saw Kai and Popuri approaching, blankets piled in Kai's arms. "Yo! Figured this must be where the cool kids are sitting, or at least it is now I'm here." He gave a wink to the pair and dropped a blanket on Gray's lap. "Your lady friend looks like she's cold Gray, perhaps you could be a gentleman and do something about that eh?" He arched an eyebrow at him and shook his head with a chuckle.

They all sat on the oversized blanket that Kai had brought out and had lunch. Claire told Kai and Popuri about the good news at the clinic and even gave a brief description of her conversation with Cliff. She was almost startled when Popuri giggled loudly at the end, and even more so when she babbled out why. "Ann has had a crush on him since the day he got here! She never acted on it because you guys are friends and all, but oh wow she is going to be so very happy for a chance with him! I mean, he's going to need a shoulder to lean on after that rejection, but Ann is just what he needs!" Popuri took a deep breath and sighed like a school girl as leaned her head on Kai, who was staring wide eyed straight ahead.

"Well then." Clearing his throat Kai looked to Popuri and kissed her forehead, making her blush and giggle that much more. Claire sat in thought for a moment, worried she would be upset by this news, but realizing quickly that it had actually made her happy instead.

"They seem pretty perfect for each other." Her face shone with surprised amusement for a moment before explaining, "Actually, I'm not sure why I never saw that before, they really would be great together." Popuri giggled and glanced at Kai, who then put a finger to his lips and chuckled with her.

"Oh, I'm doing another bonfire out here for the Festival at Mother's Hill next week." Kai pulled out an invisible pen and paper as he continued, "You aren't allowed to skip out on it. So... should I put you down as going as a couple oooor... eh?" They all shared in a laugh at Kai's expression, with two of them going red in the face as their eyes met.

"And I mean even if your farm catches fire, and you have no clothes, and your brother tragically perishes from the flames of his own angst," Kai paused as Claire raised an eyebrow at him. "Ahem. But seriously, I mean it. It's really important to me." Kai's serious face melted into a large goofy smile and he laughed nervously.

Claire exchanged a confused look with Gray and opened her mouth to ask, when Kai gave a loud and mocking gasp. "Oh wow look at the time! Hey Gray, you mind taking Pop home for me? I don't think Jack will be happy if he sees you walking Claire home after yesterday and all and she shouldn't walk home alone with that leg injury."

Gray nearly declined, not caring what Jack thought, but Kai's pleading eyes had him sighing and nodding a reluctant yes. He had known Popuri for a while, but they had never really spent any time together or talked even, so it looked like an awkward walk was in his immediate future. "Uhm, right now?" When Kai nodded he stood slowly and tugged his hat down his face. "Kay, well let's get moving then Popuri. I'll see you later Claire?" She nodded and her face turned to confusion as her eyes darted to Kai and back.

Popuri stood and kissed the tip of Kai's nose and bounded off happily, Gray following slowly behind, ignoring her calls of, "C'mon slow poke!" He took one last glance back to Claire and smiled before catching up with Popuri, waving over his shoulder as he went.

With the pair gone, Claire was left with a fidgeting Kai, something that seemed very uncommon for the confident man. "Okay Kai, spill. What's going on with you? You're acting a little like Jack when he's done something wrong." She eyed him suspiciously as he cast his eyes down.

"I've got a bit of a problem to be honest, and I was kind of hoping you could help me out..."

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"Soooo Gray. I take it things are going well with you and Claire?" Popuri smiled up at him as they walked into Rose Square. He cleared his throat and nodded at her, pulling his cap down as a blush crept in. Popuri's smile faltered and her face scrunched up in a scowl. "I'm not asking you for gossip Gray, I really want to know. I'm a grown woman, not a gossipy little girl."

The pout on her face made Gray laugh, shocking both of them for the briefest of moments. "Not sure what that says about the other women of this town who _do_ gossip, but Okay." Gray glanced over at Popuri and felt a wave of unease hit him. She was always so bubbly, almost too bubbly for his taste. It didn't sit well with him to talk about his love life with anyone, let alone a girl he never really knew all that well.

Popuri's face faded into a soft calm as they walked momentarily in silence. "I'm really glad she found that something in you. Cliff is a nice guy, but Claire needs someone who doesn't look at her as their 'other half'." When Gray gave her a questioning glance her eyebrows knit together. "It's like when people say you're two halves of a whole. Love isn't like that. Love is two whole people sharing their lives with each other and enriching both." She placed a finger to her lip in thought and nodded. "Being half of a whole means you aren't complete, that you have to rely on someone else to be a better person. With you though, Claire sees that she is that person already, and you just let her see it easier."

Gray was slightly shocked at the philosophical statements coming from a girl he always viewed as being lost in girly thoughts. His shoe kicked a stone forward and he smiled to himself as he thought. "You know Popuri, you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for." He smiled nervously when she glanced suspiciously back at him.

A smile cracked on her face when she saw he was being serious and she nodded. "Which is why I want to leave this town." She sighed and clasped her hands behind her back. "I don't want to just be the bubbly little sister of the chicken farmer." Her face contorted into a grimace. Gray could tell it was more than that though, but he stayed quiet with his curiosity. When she finally spoke they could see her home in the distance and her voice came out as a whisper "Kai can't stay here forever either. Almost none of the men in this town like him, all because he is confident in who he is. And if he can't stay here, I want to leave with him instead of watching him get on that boat at the end of every summer."

Gray gave her a pointed look and glanced towards the beach where they had left Kai, clearly expressing the obvious that he hadn't left this year. Popuri smiled warmly and lifted her head to meet his stare. "He stayed because of me. We've always been close, but this year he told me he wanted to be nearer to me." She didn't hide her blushing face from Gray, clearly not caring who knew what those words did to her. "I've known I loved him since the day he defended my brother against my own words. He could have joined in with my anger, but he chose to see the good in Rick's actions, like he does with everything else." a thoughtful expression flitted across her features and she smiled. "And that's the man I'm leaving this town with in a week."

Gray was shocked by her reveal of this news and couldn't help but wonder if they had already made a plan to abscond together in the night in order to avoid the wrath of her brother. He was even more shocked when her next question came out so innocently. "When did you know you loved Claire?" She took one look at his face and giggled. "Don't be so shocked Gray. It's easy to read it all over you when you're with her, and even when she's not around you seem different. Less moody." She stopped outside the gate to her home and smiled up at him.

He was taken aback for a moment and his face flushed. He was almost angry with himself for being so easily readable, and by Popuri of all people, and he pulled his hat further down over his face. Popuri frowned at him, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward to stare at him under the brim. "That's not going to work you know?" She reached a hand up and flicked the hat back so that his red face was fully visible. "There, that's better. Oh my Goddess your face is almost as red as your hair Gray!" She succumbed to a fit of giggles as she watched him go through a spectrum of emotions, all of them different shades of red.

With a sigh and a hand gesturing for her to be calm he resigned himself to approach the question. He held her gaze as he answered, hoping she would see the importance of keeping quiet about it. "Yeah. I love her. But I haven't exactly expressed that to her in, uh," nervousness briefly flashed though his seriousness, " in words. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't make some kind of big deal out of this."

Popuri's hands went up to cover her mouth in a gasp, "But love is a big deeeal Gray!" Her serious expression made the both of them laugh, and the moment seemed to ease.

Gray leaned against the fence surrounding the yard and thought for a moment. There were many things that he loved about Claire, but pinpointing the actual moment he fell for her wasn't difficult. At first, he simply wanted to be there for her when she seemed so lost in the dark. His feelings for her had crept up on him from that same darkness though. "When I first started hanging out with her she never smiled. Well she smiled, but it was never real, almost like she had forgotten how to be happy. We were walking up the beach to see Kai one day and her shoe got stuck in the sand right as a huge wave came up and knocked into her." He couldn't help but laugh softly at the memory of it. "She was soaking wet and her shoe was gone. I thought she might get upset over it, but she laughed instead."

Gray crossed his arms over his chest and smiled as he recalled the moment. He was initially worried that she was hurt from being knocked to the ground, but her laugh pierced him like an arrow and he froze in place as he reached to help her up. All he could think was that he wanted to listen to her laugh like that always. "When I helped her up she blushed and a smile lit up her face. I told her she had a lovely smile and she should let it through more often." He thought back and remembered how Claire's eyes were dancing as she looked into his and told him "It's hard not to smile when you're around." Her smile had deepened then, touching her eyes for the first time. It was the smile that broke onto her face in that moment of honesty that made him realize what it was he felt for her. He wanted to be the reason for that smile from then on.

Popuri was staring at him, her mouth slightly agape as a sigh escaped her. "Oh that is so beautiful!" Gray had almost forgotten that she was standing there listening, he was so lost in thought. He had to laugh at her when her hands clasped beneath her chin and she sighed the way some women do when reading a romance novel. "I bet when you tell her it'll be magical!" Her face scrunched up into an impossible grin and Gray couldn't help but smile with her.

"Popuri?" Rick's voice called out from the front door. He came into view and his eyes darted between his sister and Gray, confusion written all over his face. "Uh... I'm not sure if I should be happy about this or not. I-is Kai lurking around somewhere or did Gray beat him to a pulp to bring you home?" Gray laughed as Popuri threw her fisted hands down stiffly at her sides and glared at her brother.

"Neither. But I'll beat _you_ to a pulp if you don't stop being rude!" Rick jumped back and his face contorted into shocked fear at the look his little sister was giving him. His temper shifted and he pointed at Popuri as he started to lecture her. Gray took this as a sign that it was time to leave. He could hear them bickering all the way down the road, and he silently wished Popuri luck for the day she told her family she was leaving with Kai.


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome back to another chapter! I hope everyone is enjoying so far, and hopefully this quick update less than 24 hours after the last doesn't throw anybody off hah. I was a little uncertain about this one, but I'm happy with it for the time being. Thanks for reading everyone! Virtual cookies for everyone who's leaving comments, I feel I've grown a lot since I started this story :) **I don't own Harvest Moon or any of it's stuffs****

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Claire sat in her bedroom brushing her hair before bed when she heard the light _tap-tap-tap_ on her window. She turned to look and saw Gray standing there. Her face broke into a smile and she crossed over and opened the window. "Hey stranger," she whispered to keep from alerting Jack that she had a visitor in the middle of the night, "smart move using the window, but what are you doing her so late?" She leaned onto the window pane as she waited for an answer.

Gray shuffled nervously as he glanced up at her, again in her knee length nightgown. "I wanted to see you." Claire stared at him uncertainly and she suddenly realized she wasn't exactly dressed for company. Gray smiled at her as he continued, "I mean, Kai got back to the room and was still acting pretty weird. So, here I am to find out what was so important that I couldn't walk you home and piss off Jack some more."

Claire giggled and her face brightened. She put up a finger and checked outside her door before returning and motioning for Gray to climb through the window. When they had sat on her bed she put a quieting finger to her lips and her face scrunched up with laughter. "Kai bought a blue feather for Popuri!" Gray leaned back from her with wide eyes and chuckled as a smile spread over his face. "Yes! That's why he set up the bonfire party on the beach, he wants to give it to her during the Festival at Mother's Hill. And that's why he wanted you to walk her home, he wanted to go over his plan with me and try to nail it down."

Gray turned away from her in thought and laughed softly. "They really deserve each other too. She told me they're leaving town in a week." When Gray looked over at Claire there was shock in her eyes and her jaw had dropped. Gray grimaced, "I guess he didn't throw that into the conversation?" Claire shook her head and he suddenly felt guilty for breaking the news that her best friend would be leaving so soon without having told her. Her eyes misted over and he didn't hesitate to put his arm around her shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize he hadn't told you."

Claire sniffled and smiled up at him, "No it's okay, it makes sense. I'm just getting spoiled with him being here past summer time. I wonder why he didn't tell me he was leaving?" Her face turned thoughtful and Gray sighed.

He was sure Kai hadn't told her because he didn't want to upset her. "Because he's an idiot Clare. I thought we had established this?" Gray smiled down at Claire and she laughed gently while nodding in agreement. "So do I get to know about the secret plan or will you have to kill me if you tell me?"

Claire's face went serious as she leaned away from him and she nodded once more before breaking into a wide grin and pulling the brim of his hat down nearly to his chin. "I've been sworn to secrecy actually." She gave him a smug look and twisted around to lean back onto her headboard. "I can say though, that if I were Popuri, I'd be pretty surprised."

Gray eyed her carefully before leaning onto the headboard beside her. He was confused as to what Kai could be planning that would be surprising to Claire. He also wondered if she was thinking the surprise was a good or bad thing . "So how would you want to be proposed to then?" Uncertainty laced his voice as an eyebrow arched on him.

"I think it's a little early in the our whatever-this-is relationship to discuss marriage." She laughed at the expression of fear and shock on his face before putting a hand on his shoulder and whispering, "I'm just messing with you Gray, don't have a heart attack." She held back a giggle as he relaxed and covered his now red face with his hat. She leaned back and smiled to herself, "I would just want it to be special, surprise or no."

They both went silent for a moment before Claire gave in to impulse and quietly asked, "Why did you write that letter to Cliff?" She was too nervous to look at him and instead focused on her ceiling.

Gray was surprised that she even knew about the letter and decided to weigh his words carefully before speaking. "I thought that if he came back you wouldn't be so lost." He shrugged while shaking his head, "but I wasn't expecting to f... well I didn't know it would end up like it did." She nodded at the ceiling, listening intently while avoiding his gaze. "When you cried that night I couldn't let you go on like that without trying to do something about it. But honestly, even after everything that's happened, I'm glad that I did." Claire finally looked over to him, fully confused. "If Cliff never came back, I would always wonder if you settled... because I was all that was left."

Claire smiled sweetly at him and shook her head. "You are all that's left though. Not because I'm settling, but because nothing else can really compare..." The heat rose in her face and she almost groaned at her boldness. Her eyes glazed over and her head tilted to look away from him. "You were right, at the beach party. I was alone in the dark for so long that I never even knew that you were there." She slowly reached out her hand and brushed her fingers softly against his, smiling when he twined his fingers with hers. "And the only thing that scares me... is thinking that I screwed up everything between us."

When she turned her head back to look at him he was facing her. He reached a hand to brush his fingers across her cheek and her eyes closed at his touch. "You didn't. I'm always going to be yours Claire." Her eyes opened to face him and they were bright.

"And me yours... I mean I'm.. damn it" Claire was suddenly flustered at her ruining of the moment and Gray couldn't help but laugh. He reached an arm around her, pulling her close. He smiled as he realized he enjoyed seeing her flustered over him.

They sat in the stillness for the space of a breath, neither of them daring to move or speak. When Claire tilted her head up to look at him he could feel himself blush, and when she nervously stretched up to briefly press her lips to his he felt the warmth of it spread through him. She leaned her face back from his and the moment struck him. "Claire... I lo-"

The door to her room clicked and her eyes went wide. Suddenly he felt her hands shove hard against him and he hit the floor with a heavy thud as a new voice sounded in his ears, making him freeze on the spot.

"Claire? Thought I heard a man laughing in here." Jack was dressed in his pajamas and his hair, which was normally covered by a signature backwards cap, was disheveled. He had her new sickle in his hands, and his face was groggy.

Her eyes were wide like an animal being hunted as she took in the sight of her brother, eyeing the sickle in his hands.. "Nope, just me. You're good to go back to bed Jack, it's already after midnight." He scrutinized her suspicious reaction and glanced over the room. After a moment he seemed satisfied enough, "'Kay... I'm gonna go back to bed then, this work is kicking my ass." He scratched his head and yawned loudly before reaching for the door. "Oh Claire!" He turned back to her, a goofy smile spreading on his sleepy face. "I forgot to tell you, I've got a date to the Festival at Mother's Hill. So I'm gonna need you to explain what that is when I've had more sleep and can understand bigger words." They both laughed, and Claire was relieved when he didn't notice the extreme nervousness in hers. "H'ok. To bed!" Jack spun around and threw a pointed hand into the air as he marched out and closed the door.

A huge sigh escaped from her as her body relaxed. Gray's hat peeked over the side of the bed and she smiled at the laughing wide eyed disbelief on his face as he shook his head at her. "Well now I know what I'm going to make for you tomorrow... a lock for that door." They both laughed softly as the tension seeped out of the room like air from a balloon.

"And I think that's our cue to say good night. I'm very much enjoying your company, and it would really be a shame for Jack to pin you to the wall with the sickle that _you_ upgraded for me. Though technically it would be your own fault for making it so effective." She eyed him with mock seriousness as she put her fist to her chin.

They shared a quiet laugh before she stepped forward and hugged him. Gray closed his eyes and smiled to himself as he pulled her closer, only a little upset that his "magical moment", as Popuri put it, was lost. She moved to turn the lights out as se made his way to the window to leave. When he looked back to her to say goodnight she seemed lost in thought, and he gave her a questioning look.

Claire pointed between the two of them, "A-are we... uhm..." She frowned as she tried to find the words. Gray stood still and tried to hide the smile on his face as he realized what she was trying to ask.

He closed the small distance between them, placing his hands on either side of her face and silently gazing at her in the darkness of the room. He could feel her breath becoming unsteady and felt his own respond in turn. His heart began to race as he looked into her forget-me-not blue eyes and he felt something take over. He pressed his lips to hers and felt the slight tremble radiating from their softness. Her body seemed to melt into his as he ran a hand down her back, sending shivers through her. Her hands wrapped around his neck and tangled in his hair and he heard his hat as it quietly hit the floor. Her touch sent electricity tingling through his limbs as his body responded to her. The taste of apples pervaded his senses as her lips parted for him. He pulled her tightly to him and decided that if Jack walked in, this would be a good way to die, here in her embrace.

When Gray gently broke the kiss Claire sighed heavily. He locked his eyes on hers and whispered, "Yeah, I'd say we are." Claire smiled sheepishly up at him and slowly put a hand to her flushed face as her eyes darted around the room. He stepped back from her reluctantly and made his way to the window. He looked back to her and flashed a smile, "Same time tomorrow?" When she nodded her lips tugged up at the corners and his grin widened. He let his mind wander as he quietly slipped off the farm, the smile never leaving his face, and decided that he would have to thank Kai for giving him a reason to sneak over to Claire's window tonight.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone, and welcome back for the next chapter! I think there aren't many more left to this story, so I hope you're all enjoying it so far. One change that was made was that I somehow managed to write down the wrong holiday I was going for. This event is the Festival at Mother's Hill, NOT the Starry Night Festival. Gotta love that moment when you realize "oh crap that's the wrong date I was going for!". So here we go! **I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the stuff associated with it's materials****

**MelodyGirl239 - I was mad at Jack too! But it made it easier to think of him completely disheveled as he ran in all "zomg whas happenin?" in a sleep stupor lol.**

**Liane - I did a massive face palm as I realized the story was set to the M rating, it wasn't supposed to be lol, so problem fixed and crisis averted. Thanks for wanting more people to be able to access the story! Makes me have a proud moment :). And don't RIP on me now! Lol, I've never really done any fluff moments, so I'm glad they went over well enough :D**

* * *

Kai sat at the bar with Gray, his hands fidgeting nervously as he cupped the mug in front of him. Gray peered at him sideways and drank from his own. "You ready for tonight?" Kai didn't even turn to look at him as he nodded at his mug, a smile creeping onto his face. After threatening to shout his conversations with Claire during his late visits, she finally broke and let him in on the plan for Kai's big night. Gray pat him on the back now as his friend visibly shook from nerves. He had a sneaking suspicion that he would probably be pulling Rick off Kai at some point this evening.

It was nearly 5:30 when the door to the inn finally opened and Claire walked in. Gray turned his head to check that it was her and was greeted with a warm and welcome smile. She was walking easier as she came to the bar and sat down. He couldn't help but notice the circles forming under her eyes and silently chastised himself for keeping her up the last few nights when she should probably be resting.

Leaning around Gray she gave a small wave in Kai's direction before raising an eyebrow at his lack of response. "That nervous huh?" Kai's eyebrows lifted slightly as he turned to realize Claire was there. He smiled nervously and gave a nod. Claire reached across Gray and grabbed Kai's hand. "We're not going to let you do anything stupid okay?" Claire glanced over her shoulder around the bar and began whispering, "Everything is setup and ready, we just need to get there." She gave him an encouraging smile, which he returned, before leaning back in her chair.

"Well let's get moving then, we don't want to be late." Gray grabbed Kai by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him carefully to his feet. "Just keep in mind that we've got Rick covered. Smart move letting Karen in on the plan". Gray rolled his eyes in claire's direction and she giggled quietly. They moved for the door and Kai seemed to wake up.

A smile broke over his face and only widened as they walked out the door. As dusk settled in they walked for the beach, their pace quickening with each step. Kai stared determinedly ahead of him, a fist clenched in his pocket. He had nearly forgotten what he even wanted to say, but once his feet hit the sand, and the sound of waves entered his ears, he knew he was ready.

The bonfire was going full blaze when they arrived, and it was all thanks to Ann and Rick. Kai took a moment to grin at the idea that Rick was unwittingly setting up the stage for his most hated person to propose to his sister. They sat down on a nearby bench and waited for Karen and Popuri to arrive, the former having setup a pre-party beautification session.

The beach slowly filled with residents of the town, all of them stopping by the bench the three friends shared to praise Kai for setting up a town wide celebration for the festival that normally took place on Mother's hill, and usually only between couples by themselves. He distractedly thanked them all as they filtered in, only coming to when Popuri's mother, Lillia, paused to smile at him with a greeting. Her health was normally in question, but tonight she seemed full of life as she grasped Kai's hand and whispered to him.

After it seemed like the entire town had arrived, Popuri came down the stairs from Rose Square with Karen. Claire elbowed Kai, whispering the arrival, and his head turned in anticipation. His face lost all it's nervousness, replaced instead by a soft and smiling confidence. Popuri was a vision of loveliness wearing a soft white sundress with a fluffy skirt that reached just below her knees, and flowers tucked into her flowing hair. Claire leaned into Gray and whispered, "Karen really is good at this 'making a statement' thing."

He chuckled lightly as he threw an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, she seems to really specialize in bonfire beach parties in particular." He eyed Claire and she blushed as a giggle escaped her, remembering the striking look Karen had invented for her at the last one.

Kai moved to stand in front of the bonfire and his smile stretched to his ears when Popuri spotted him and waved. Kai gave Claire a look and she walked over to stand near him with Gray in tow. When Popuri reached him, Karen called out, "City announcement!" All eyes shot to her and she shrugged, pointing over to Kai.

His eyes went wide and his palms sweaty as he stumbled over his thoughts, forgetting twice in the span of a second what he planned to say. He took a deep breath and looked out into the crowd. "I-I'm really glad all of you could be here for the Festival tonight. I know it normally takes place on Mother's hill, but tonight I wanted us to celebrate the evening with all of the people that we love." He glanced around at them all with a smile, and rested his gaze on Popuri. "I know that without the people I care about most, I wouldn't be able to make tonight as special as you are to me Popuri." Kai reached a shaky hand for hers, holding it palm up in his own. "I believe that you should never let the person you love go a day without knowing just how much they mean to you." Kai's eyes darted over to Gray, earning him a smirk. With a smile he turned his eyes to Popuri and pulled a hand from his pocket discreetly. "And I want to spend the rest of my life telling you how much I love you." He opened his hand and placed his blue feather in Popuri's open palm.

The crowd broke out in quiet chatter at the unfolding scene. Rick's face was red with anger as he stomped forward, but was quickly subdued by Karen as she grabbed his shoulder and disarmed him with a loud, "When are you going to propose to me, huh?" Kai reached behind him without looking to fist bump Karen as she stared smugly at a pale and disarmed Rick.

Popuri's eyes were wide and mystified as she asked, "You really mean it?" When Kai nodded happily, her face scrunched up and tears filled her eyes as she shouted, "Yes!" She leapt onto Kai and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to the sounds of applause and cheering from the town.

Kai set her down gently and turned to address the group one more time. "I also want to invite the whole town to the wedding... which will be tonight." Popuri's eyes went wide and she turned a surprised look to her mother. Met with an approving nod from her smiling mother, Popuri's smile spread further. Carter came through the crowd, always ready in his priestly robes, and Lillia followed to stand behind her daughter.

The ceremony took only minutes, and Rick even begrudgingly joined his mother to stand with his little sister on her big day. They stood in front of the bonfire as the entire town watched, though their eyes never left the other as the fire lit them from behind. When Carter announced them as husband and wife, the town cheered loudly at the blushing couple. Kai invited everyone to his shop for food and beverages, and the celebration of the night began.

When everyone had started to settle, Claire chose to sit by the water as she watched the people of Mineral come together. This is what she left the city for. To be a part of something that meant so much more. She thought back to the last time she stood on this beach at night, and shook her head with a small chuckle. Over the last year she had changed a lot, but looking back she decided that she was supposed to change, evolving into who she was always meant to be. She thought of all the dark moments she spent alone, and they suddenly were nothing more than a way to strengthen her.

Gray walked slowly over to her and hesitated a moment as he watched her deep in thought. The moon was bright, and made a halo on her pale hair. The wind blew through her and he could smell the scent of fresh earth and salt on the air with it. He approached her and softly called out her name so as not to startle her. When she turned to fully face him her smile spread through her entire face, giving him pause as he wondered why it had taken him so long to get to her.

They stood close together and watched the events unfolding, still and quiet. The first noise that finally escaped them was the sound of low laughter from Claire, pointing out Jack attempting to propose to a mortified Mary. Then a sigh of contentment from Gray when Ann leaned her head onto Cliff's shoulder, his face going red as a shyly smiled at her. Their hands clasped and happiness lit their faces as they watched Kai and Popuri dancing in the sand, oblivious to the people wandering about them. When Claire's voice broke through the shroud of quiet, it came as a bird song in the early morning to Gray's ears. "Everything is perfect right now, in this moment." Her eyes were focused on the people wandering between the bonfire as music flitted up from instruments pulled out of pockets or toted in. When Gray chanced a look at her his breath caught in his chest.

Claire's eyes were misted over, a smile playing on her pink lips. She looked up to him and he could see happiness in her, a happiness that brought a smile to his own face. "I made so many mistakes in the last year Gray." She reached to wipe a tear from her eye and he leaned forward to cup her face in his hand, worry written on his face. "I'm just so glad to finally see that they were all bringing me to you." He was surprised when tears started falling, almost as if they were back in her barn all those months ago. "You saw me in the dark and lit a flame to guide me out... when it seemed like no one could reach me." He could feel the heat rising in her face through his hand and he smiled down on her. "I love you, so much... and it's probably the only thing I'll ever be truly sure of."

Gray could feel his own face going warmer as the moment hit him through the shock. He would never get used to Claire and her new bluntness. He leaned in closer to Claire, his voice coming out in a whisper as he looked into her forget-me-not blue eyes, "I love you too Claire. And you have no idea how many times I've tried to tell you." A chuckle escaped him as he thought back to the nights in the last week he had stolen into her room at night, and the quiet talks and shared moments that always seemed to fall short of the "perfect moment" to him. He touched his forehead to hers and grinned, "All this time I was waiting for the 'magic moment', and here you just decided to make the moment instead. Damn it woman, you're making me look bad." He laughed, and was cut short as Claire covered his lips with hers, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and nearly knocking him backwards.

A cat call came from Karen, "Wooooooo! Go Claire!" and the pair broke apart in laughter. They walked hand in hand back to their group of friends around the fire, Clair slinging an arm around Karen as they giggled and Gray returning the insisted fist bump to Kai. As they all sat around the fire to end their night together in celebration with the people they loved most, Claire and Gray's eyes met. A fire shone in each that had nothing to do with the flames that danced before them and they shared a smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**HEYO! So sorry it took so long to get this one up, I just wanted it to be the vision I was seeing in my head. Hopefully it lives up to the standard anyone is expecting, but I love it anyways. It's the final chapter to the story :). My first finished fanfic, in all it's glory hehe. To everyone who has been reading and made it this far, you inspire me to keep writing. Thank you so much for all of your comments and supportive words.**

**Liane: I have heard of that song, I know it well enough and was surprised when you mentioned it at how much it really is them lol. I write while listening to music, and added that one into the playlist for this final chapter. I've got a slew of songs that were the inspiration for this, and I'm still not tired of any of the songs.**

**Without further ado, on to the finale!**

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"So what are you and Gray doing for the Starry Night Festival?" Claire shrugged over at Karen as she pulled her purchased seeds and flour from the counter, a smile passing her lips as her eyes wandered.

"Just the usual, or at least what passes for the usual. Dinner at the farm... with Jack... and Saibara." her cheeks flushed and she grimaced. Karen lifted a questioning eyebrow and leaned forward onto her elbows. "Long story." Claire sighed, "Well not really. Short story; Jack dislikes Gray, Gray dislikes Saibara, Saibara... well Saibara is Saibara." Claire smiled through another sigh and laughed, "And I'm supposed to feed them in between all of their manly bickering."

Karen came from behind the counter to walk Claire out and chuckled, "You don't think they'll put everything aside to celebrate the night?" Claire laughed and shook her head with a shrug. "You'd think after two months everyone would be getting along. Well here's to you burning the food and clearing the house quick." Karen winked as she pulled the door open for Claire as she chuckled. Karen gave a large sigh when it closed behind her and went back to fish a package out from behind the counter.

It was only a few minutes after she found the tiny parcel that the chime rang on the door again. When she peeked up she saw Gray quickly wandering in, his cap pulled low over his eyes. "She didn't see you did she?" He shook his head in Karen's direction and she smiled. "Okay, good. Well your package came in last night, got it right here. I haven't opened it yet to check it though, so you should probably open it here so I can see it, er, check to make sure it's what you wanted."

Gray eyed Karen suspiciously and chuckled low, knowing that she was excited to be a part of the surprise. "I'm sure it's fine Karen." She glared up at him and opened her mouth to say something and he quickly started pulling the brown paper off of the package. Getting yelled at by Karen was not something he wanted to deal with today. He held the box in his hands and felt them start to shake. He lifted the lid and they both peered inside. A smile spread over his face and Karen clasped her hands together and sighed. "See? It's perfect." He replaced the lid and tucked the box into a pocket in his jacket.

"Do not lose that before dinner tonight, it'll screw up our whole plan." Karens eyebrows crinkled where they met and she gave him a look that made him laugh. He had come up with the idea, paid for everything, and planned it all, but Karen owned it somehow. Her glare transformed into a smile and she pointed to the door as she chuckled, "Hurry and get everything ready, she's expecting a near miserable night with all of you men and your testosterone in her house."

Gray nodded with a smile and left the shop. Karen took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "And now to gather the troops." She punched her fist into her open palm and a determined smile spread on her lips.

* * *

Gray got to Claire's farm and crept over to the barn. He peered through the door before walking in, and saw Jack brushing Dawn. Gray smiled when he thought back on when Claire had finally named her. She had been referring to the calf as "baby" since her birth, unable to come up with what she thought was a suitable name.

It had finally come to her a few weeks ago as they sat in the barn after feeding the cows, much like they had those months ago. Claire was smiling to herself as she quietly went about her work. When he had asked her what had put her in such a good mood, her reply had him grinning in turn. "Nothing really. Well, everything. I dunno, I just have a lot to be happy about. I can't help but go around with a smile painted on my face." She tapped her index finger to the tip of his nose and her eyes crinkled as her smile widened. He felt his face go soft with quiet wonder and he watched her finish her chores in silence.

When she was done she walked over to the calf and turned to look at Gray. "Dawn. Her name is Dawn." He remembered feeling ridiculous as his head tilted to the side like a dog, and Claire's laughter as she noticed it too. "Her birth marked the start of brighter things." Gray smiled and gave a single nod, and both gestures were returned to him by Claire.

Now he could see that Jack was just finishing the same chores and decided it was safe to approach. He cleared his throat to announce his presence and Jack turned with a glare, "Where's my sister jerk?" Gray chuckled and pointed in the direction of the farmhouse through the barn walls. Jack let out a relieved sigh, "This pretense of hating you is getting exhausting you know. Half the time I can't even remember if I like you or not." Jack laughed as he grabbed a rag and wiped his hands down before walking over to slap Gray on the shoulder.

It was almost month ago that the two had been left alone at Claire's. She had left for the inn to wait for a call from Kai and Popuri, and Gray and Jack were left to sit at the house and wait for her to come back. Jack turned on a video game in order to ignore Gray, and by the time Claire had walked in the front door, they were both playing. Not just playing though, they were bonding. The crack of a high five split the air as Jack shouted, "Yes! Take that Ganon, you bastard!" The cheering and laughter died when they saw Claire at the door, her eyes wide in confusion at the scene she had walked in on.

Jack had begrudgingly admitted that Gray was "alright", but kept up the pretense of despising Gray when Claire was around because "I'm the big brother, if I don't make it difficult, she may just settle for something not worth fighting for." When Gray had come up with this plan though, he made a point to talk to Jack and keep the farce going.

"Everything is all set up. The wick on her lantern is just about nonexistent, but it looks otherwise, and I rigged the lid so it should work." Gray nodded and mumbled a "thanks" to Jack. "Seriously though, she better not break her neck because of it. I don't plan to live on the couch for the rest of my life here, and I'm sure Mary would appreciate that as well." He eyed Gray with mock seriousness and threw the cloth in Gray's face when he didn't respond. "Dude, I'm making a joke here and you're somewhere in space." Gray laughed at Jack before clearing his throat and glancing at the floor.

"Just a little nervous. You are hilarious, of course." Gray smirked at Jack, who broke out in more laughter. "How is Mary anyways?"

Jack's features softened as the thought of her made him grin. "She's doing good. She's been getting a lot done on the novel she's been working on, which is amazing by the way. She's been pretty busy today though, I guess Cliff stopped in to ask for a book about girls or something." He waved a hand in the air and made a face that Gray chuckled at. "I guess after that scene at Kai's wedding panned out after all."

Gray thought back to that night on the beach and remembered Ann standing over Cliff. She had jumped up and shouted at him, her hands clenched tight into shaking fists, asking him on an official date. Cliff had looked terrified as he turned red and nodded. "Well, who would have thought. Good for him then. Hell, good for Ann even." Jack nodded and peered outside the barn door.

"Damn good for Claire too. I doubt that mountain boy would have 'gone softly into that dark night' or whatever the rest of that phrase is." Jack glared at the thought of it.

Gray cleared his throat, "It's 'good night', not a quote about Batman. That and I think that's a metaphor for death. I don't think this would kill him." He leaned back at the look he was given when Jack turned to him.

Jack's face went dark as he grinned, "He's lucky _I_ didn't kill him after his involvement with my sister."

Gray chuckled. He knew that Cliff was a good guy, but disputing that with Claire's brother was a battle he would not pick to fight. "Well, murder aside, everything else is good to go so... I'm going to head back to the shop and get Gramps ready." Jack gave a nod and started collecting his things from the barn to take in with him. "Oh, and could you not lay it on too thick tonight? Karen said Claire has had just about enough of our 'testosterone', and I'd prefer it if she went to bed with happy thoughts." Jack's back was turned from Gray and he lifted a hand into the air and shook it. "I'm serious man," Gray pointed to his head with both hands and whispered, "happy thoughts."

Jack laughed, "I got it. Now get the hell outta here man." He waited for Gray to slip off the farm before he returned to the house. When he walked inside, Claire was busy putting the food together for the evening. "Need any help?" Her response was to shove the hand soap at him and point to a bowl of dried apples she had pulled from the pantry. "So, you want me to wash the apples or something?" A sly grin spread across his lips as she turned to him with her hands on her hips, clearly exasperated.

Jack cleaned up and got to work in the kitchen, laughing at his sisters cooking frenzy. While they worked they joked and talked like they used to do when they were younger and still living at home. Jack teased her about the time she had run from a tiny spider in the house, and she returned the teasing with a description of his face, and Mary's, when he blurted out a grand proposal at Kai's wedding. "Hey, that was genuine. I'm _going_ to marry her, she just doesn't know it yet."

"Well I'm sure she will appreciate walking into the church for confession, then walking out with a delusional husband." They both broke into fits of laughter and the conversation dissolved into describing random clips of awkward moments Mary would experience unknowingly walking into her own wedding.

The last of the cooking was nearly done when Jack took on a serious air, the laughter fading out of the house. "I love her though, have since the moment I met her. And I'm going to marry her." Claire chuckled and nodded seriously, knowing her brother would most likely win Mary over. "And what about you? Gonna marry that Jerksmith?" Claire blanched and her eyes went wide. "I mean, at least it's not that other jerk. And I could easily take Gray... or nature-boy. I could take all of 'em!" He threw his arms into the air and flexed to the sound of Claire's giggling. "But... you could do worse I guess."

Claire shook her head and smiled as she leaned into the oven to check the food. "Well, I dunno." She frowned slightly and closed the oven. "Aren't you supposed to be with someone for a while before you let yourself start thinking about something like that?"

Jack frowned at her as his head jerked back, "Well if that were the case then there would be a lot of unhappy marriages. You don't just get married because you've been together long enough so 'why not?'" Jack stared at Claire incredulously, "If you know it's real love you feel, what the hell does a timeframe have to do with it?"

Claire gave a thoughtful look to the roof and nodded. "I... I think you're right. This probably isn't going to happen again for you so you might want to memorize this moment." She pointed a finger upwards to emphasize her point. Jack chuckled and Claire pulled out the last of the food from the oven.

Her new table was set and filled with all of the food in just a few minutes. She was glad she had decided to upgrade to a bigger one to better accommodate more guests. After she expanded the farmhouse a few times and redecorated it, the table was the last of the original furniture she had to replace, other than the bigger bed she was waiting to be delivered. Claire was considering the idea of ordering a sewing machine to make new bedsheets and table cloths with when a knock came at the door. Snapped out of her thoughts she bolstered herself for the evening as she went to open the door.

"Saibara! How are you sir?" Jack called across the house when he saw the older man coming through the front door. Claire was not sure how it happened, but the two seemed to be on the best of terms since they had met. Saibara gave a grumble and nodded in Jack's direction, and Claire was sure she saw what passed for a smile on Saibara. Gray walked in behind him, shoulders slumped and tugging on the brim of his hat.

"Hey." Was all the greeting she got. _Yep, it's going to be a fun night_, was all she could think. A sigh escaped her and she got everyone seated at the table with their drink of choice. Saibara said a prayer to the Harvest Goddess on everyone's behalf and they started eating. It was only quiet for a few minutes before Jack got Saibara talking about some new methods for smithing he had read about at the library. While they were distracted with the conversation, Claire caught Gray's eye and mouthed "you okay?" He nodded while his eyebrows scrunched together.

The rest of dinner passed with simple conversation as the air seemed to thicken. "Ah miss Claire, the food is delicious. I can see exactly why you won the cooking contest this year," Saibara gruffed out as he reached a hand to pat his belly. Everyone got quiet as they finished, and Claire started clearing the table. As she did, all three men exchanged glances and Gray gave a nod.

Gray started clearing the table with Claire, and Jack went into the closet and started pulling out blankets. "Yo jerk-face." Gray gave a grunt as he glared over at Jack and was nearly knocked over as he shoved the blankets into his arms. "Take these to wherever we're supposed to watch stars at tonight. I've got to go pick up Mary." Gray stared at Jack incredulously and Claire made to say something, but he put a hand up and shook his head.

"It's fine. I'll set up your blanket in the mine, I'm sure Mary will appreciate your 'good looks' in that lighting a lot more." Jack reached out to grab him and he quickly sidestepped, kissing Claire on the forehead and darting out the door laughing.

Jack clenched his hands and glared over to Claire. "Would it kill you to be nice to him? Even for just tonight?" Her hands went to her hips and she returned the look he was giving her.

Jack's eyes went wide and his expression turned and serious, "Yes, I really think it would Claire." It came out as if he were explaining something simple to an idiot and she groaned lowly at him and turned to finish cleaning. "Just relax. I'm gonna go get Mary, and you just meet us at the mine when you're done kay?" Claire nodded, still refusing to look at her brother. "Loooove you Claire-Bear!" Jack pitched his voice high and walked out to the sound of her chuckling and Saibara politely dismissing himself to follow.

When the door closed behind him, Jack found Gray at the northern entrance to the farm and took back the blankets. "You've probably only got about 20 minutes before she heads out. Would have been more, but you decided to help clear the table. Well done there." Gray shuffled his feet nervously and nodded. Jack slapped him on the back and made his way out as Gray headed for the southern exit of the farm.

* * *

Claire was carefully shuffling over the ice towards the Winter mine when she spotted Jack and Mary chatting by the entrance. By the time she got to them she was grumbling under her breath from nearly slipping and falling on her butt twice. Her brother lifted a hand in greeting and Mary gave her a shy smile as Claire noticed a second empty blanket laid out near by. "Where's Gray?"

Jack shrugged and pointed his thumb towards the mine, "Said something about the mine didn't he?" He turned his attention back to a giggling Mary and winked. "Idiot said something about you coming to find him when you're ready."

Claire stared at him incredulously, "You serious?" Jack nodded and handed her a lantern. She chuckled to herself and turned towards the entrance. "Okaaaay." She hadn't been in any of the mines in a long time, and never at night. She had decided a while ago that she didn't like being in the dark, and the mines were a strong physical representation of that fear. However, she trudged in to find Gray.

She lit the lantern and walked through the main entrance, where she stood for a few minutes staring at the walls. Taking a deep breath she moved forward slowly, taking in the musty smell. The cold in the cavern bit hard at her face and she could feel it seeping into her winter layers. As she went deeper into the cavern she started to wonder why Gray would choose the dead of night to wander into this place.

She was deep into the mine when the lantern flame wavered. She stopped dead where she was and peered at it. "Don't mess with me right now," she chided in a whisper. Finding nothing amiss she continued on. She stepped down to the next floor and noticed a random puddle on the floor. Her head tilted to the side ever so slightly and her eyebrow rose to question it, when the flame in the lantern sputtered, making the shadows dance around her. She checked the wick once more and frowned. "What the hell is going on," she whispered questioningly at the flame. In the distance she could hear a rock clacking as it fell. "Gray?" Her voice came out quivering and her frown deepened.

She took a step forward and was plunged into darkness. The flame was gone, and she could only stand stock still. Her voice strained and came out as a whisper, "Gray?" She kept her eyes ahead, but it was like staring through ink. She put her hand to her face and her leaned her head into it. She cleared her throat to chase out any idea of tears her eyes were forming and pulled her hand to her side. As she did so, she realized she could see the lantern clutched tightly in her other hand. The lid was glowing a faint blue. "That wasn't..."

The panic that had been rising in her faltered as she tentatively touched the catch to the lantern. She opened it and the inside of the lid was lined with stones and a small handheld light that had gone out. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the last time she had seen this small device. Gray had held it to her necklace to show her that it would glow. She touched the necklace through her jacket and a soft smile formed on her lips.

A light emerged out of the darkness a distance away from her and she realized the floor she was on was one of the larger caverns in the mine. The fire grew quickly, and she could make out a figure kneeling next to it. She started walking towards it, weaving around some of the larger rocks cluttering the area. The closer she got to the flame, the larger she realized it was. Wood had been stacked higher than her head, and the flames were already licking at the top. She could hear the popping of the flames as she approached the blaze and came to face Gray.

He stood with a stoic expression on his face as he stared down at her. Claire lifted the opened lantern in her hand and glanced tellingly at it before her gaze fell on Gray. One corner of his lips twitched up and he shrugged slowly. "I couldn't leave you completely in the dark." Claire smiled up at him and he reached out to brush his fingers across her cheeks before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What is all of this?" She motioned with her hand at the fire. Gray followed her gesture around the lit cavern and the smile on his lips spread further.

"A long time ago, you told me that you felt like you were lost in the mines without a light to guide you." He dropped his gaze to meet hers. "I never want you to feel that way again, but I don't want you to be afraid of it either." He scratched the back of his head nervously as he stared at her awed face. "It's kind of a metaphor really. I tried to build the fire as big as the one you set in my heart, so you could finally see it, but there just wasn't enough room." He stepped close to her and touched her cheek with the back of his fingertips, bringing a warm smile to her face. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his and his breath hitched. "I want you to be mine forever Claire." He tucked his hand into a pocket and pulled out the forget-me-not blue feather he had bought to match the wide eyes that now stared at it. "And I will always be yours."

Claire's eyes shone brightly in the firelight, new tears welling at the edges. A smile split her face as she looked up at Gray, her hand still clasping his to her cheek. Her head started nodding fervently and a high pitched whisper, "Yes," escaped her before she buried her face into his chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and he wrapped his around her shoulders. She kissed the side of his face as she clung to him, whispering, "I love you." His lips met hers briefly and he whispered back in earnest, "I love you too."

They stood holding each other and laughing for a minute before Gray touched his forehead to hers. "We should head back to the surface. You know, before Jack upsets Mary with his own proposal." Claire laughed at the idea, and quickly helped Gray toss a few buckets of dirt and water over the fire.

He wrapped his hand around hers and led the way out of the darkened cave, making a joke about how many times he had found his way out in the dark thanks to Saibara. It took him minutes to find the way out aided by the faint glow in Claire's lantern. When they came to the entrance of the mine their ears were bombarded with shouts and laughter. A group rushed towards them, and Claire broke into a large grin as she spotted Karen and Kai in the bunch.

Karen elbowed Kai and his eyes went wide as he stumbled, and she got to them first. Her words ran one into the other before Claire realized she wanted to see the feather and hear every detail from start to finish. He words were cut short as Kai lifted her off the ground and set her down behind him. "Bestys first!"

Karen pulled Kai back and shouted, "That's why I got there first dork!" A full on good-natured shoving match broke out between the two and the group spent the next few minutes laughing at the pair. When that was over, hugs were shared and shy brief descriptions were given of the event by Claire as Gray tugged his hat over his red-tinged face. They all settled around a small fire and spent the rest of their night celebrating the Starry Night Festival and the company that came with it. Laughter and warm smiles were no stranger in the group. Karen had to keep pinching Rick as he tossed fleeting glares at Kai while he and Popuri told the group all about the places they had visited. Jack and Mary sat close, Mary blushing furiously every time he caught her eye. And Claire sat snuggled into Gray, both of them smiling as they let time slow for this moment.

* * *

The group had dispersed slowly until it was only Claire and Gray left. Her back was leaned to a rock and Gray reclined with his head in her lap. They stared at the stars in silence before Gray broke it. "Why did you pick me? I mean, when you could have... well when you could have had something else."

The question took Claire by surprise, but she smiled down at him and touched his face. She stared into his eyes a moment before she leaned her head back and looked to the stars. The chilled wind blew and sent her hair lightly floating to tickle his face. Gray lifted himself off of her lap to catch her gaze, and when she turned it to him her eyes were dancing. "There is nothing else Gray. You are... everything to me." She shrugged at him as he had in the mines and a small laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head at the ground. She put her hands on his face and pulled him closer in the dark. When their lips met, a familiar fire spread throughout. Though Claire couldn't see that blaze at the start, it was what led them to this moment, and carried them through all other moments, forever and always in each others arms.

Fin.

* * *

**Thank you for ****reading, I hope you enjoyed it and I could meet some expectations! Feel free to check out my profile for a poll on what to do next, and I'm sure I'll be adding other stuff and updates as time goes by. 3 Thanks guys, let me know what ya think and I'll start passing out the virtual cookies!**


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